Infernos and Lotuses
by crownclown25
Summary: Allen and Kanda are sent on a mission to Greece and brought back Kuro, an 18 year old girl that can create fire from the raw energy in her innocence. What will the Black Order do with this uncategorized type of innocence? And why does she remind Kanda of the woman he's been looking for throughout this life? Slow KandaXOC
1. The Genesis Arc Part One: Terrible First

**Author's Note: Hello! I haven't written anything in years. But during those years, I had tons of ideas for this story. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

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Allen and Kanda arrived at the entrance of Tesus; a small quaint town in Greece surrounded by a forest. They stand in the foggy weather as their feet sank into muddy puddles from yesterday's overcast. No one was outside, making it almost seem like a ghost town. Silence filled the air. Allen knew that his mission with Kanda was going to be troublesome due to their clashing personalities, but the ambience from everything was not helping. The mission wasn't supposed to be hard and could've easily been done as a solo mission. The goal: Kill the few amount of akuma that have been spotted in this area. But when there's akuma, there's innocence. The two young men stroll through the alleyways and pavement of the old town.

"Hello?" Allen called. "Is anyone here? Hello?"

"Look around you Moyashi," Kanda scoffs. "This is a ghost town. Let's just kill off the akuma and leave."

"MY NAME IS ALLEN! And even if the reports say that there's been some akuma around the area, they aren't there for no reason."

"Don't get cocky because it's only the two of us on this mission. I can easily slice you u-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kanda was interrupted by the faint yell of an unknown voice.

"A ghost town you said?" Allen sasses back.

"Shut up Moyashi." Kanda growls.

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU BASTARD!" the unknown yell echoed once more in the distance.

"Let's go!" Both teen exorcists run towards the voice with Kanda leading the way as splash through puddles that are in the way. They end up at the back of an alley, only to see three young boys fighting. One of them had dark brown hair and was pushed up against the wall by the collar of his red shirt. The other kid was taller with blond hair while the last kid just stood in amusement. The two bullies had massive smirks plastered over their faces.

"Che,' Kanda scoffs. "What a waste of time." He begins to walk away from the scene while Allen runs off to save the child.

"Take back what you said about my sister!" the defenseless child cried.

"Oh?" The bully teases. "About how she's a cursed witch that always brings misery to this town? You know that a fact! You're just too much of a baby to accept it."

The brown hair boy looks down and summons the little amount of courage he had left. "At least she's alive and loves me! Unlike your dead parents!"

The bully face turned red as the bystander snickered. As if all the heat from every cell in his body went up to his face. The little child winces his head back as he raises his fist about to punch him. Allen then comes up and grabs his arm back.

"That's enough." Allen declares sternly.

"Who the hell are you?!" The bully demands. "And stay out of this. This is none of your damn business."

"Oh really?" A mysterious voice joins in. The bullies felt chills run down their spines and turned around, only to find a tall, black haired samurai cracking his knuckles. They turn around to also see Allen wearing his black poker face also cracking his knuckles. They were cornered

"Hey Kanda," Allen smiles. "What should we do about them?"

"Beats me Moyashi. But I haven't practiced on a dummy in a long time."

"The name's Allen, but I guess today's your lucky day." The two bullies skedaddle past Allen with their tails between their legs. Allen then offers his hand to the young boy. "Are you ok?"

"Um…yea." He accepts his offer and is pulled back to his feet with his pants covered in mud.

"Hey Kanda," Allen glares. "I thought you weren't going to help him"

"I wasn't until he gave us some clues for our mission."

"Um...thank you," the small child said as he tries to brush the mud off his pants. "I don't think I would've gotten out of that without you...um…"

"My name's Allen. And this here is-"

"You don't need to intrude me Moyashi." Kanda hissed, then towards the boy. The child shivers and gulps from the dark vibes the swordsman gave. "The name's Kanda."

"I'm Jett." He looks up into the sky, seeing that the clouds are starting to thicken in color. "It looks like it's going on 5:00. Sorry but I have to go before it gets really dark. You guys should find some shelter before they come."

"Wait, who's 'they'?" Allen asks. "And why do we have to hide from them?" Warning bells begin to charm in the distance. Panic strikes Jett.

"I have to go right now! Just follow me if you have nowhere to stay!" He flees down the street.

"Wait!" Allen calls as the two exorcists chase the boy home.

They reach a five story concrete apartment that was covered in cracks due to wear. "Here it is," Jett says nervously. Allen and Kanda follow Jett upstairs two floors until they reach an old, worn out wooden door. "You know, my sister said that I shouldn't be talking to strangers."

Kanda clicked his tongue. "Then why the hell are you inv-"

"But you guys seem nice and aren't strange!" Jett smiles. "So you guys should be ok!"

He opens the door as it creeks. Inside was a small kitchen which was accompanied with a fridge a stove, and a table fit for four. A single coffee table and a red sofa occupied the living room along with a small bookshelf filled with old books. "It's a little small," Jett apologizes "but I hope it will suit you guys! Oh and please take off your shoes by the door. My sister hates it when I get the floor dirty. He then plops down on the couch, patting his hand for one of them to sit down. Allen accepts the offer while Kanda leans on the wall.

"It's a nice place you have here." Allen comments.

"Oh thank you! It's just my sister and me so it's nothing special!"

"So, about this town, why does everyone hide at n-"

"My sister should be here soon." Jett interrupts. Allen gives Jett an irritated smile while Kanda clicks his tongue. "But she's safe! Don't worry! She's super-duper strong and can defend herself. Sometimes she's a bit late because her job can take a long time to complete. Did I tell you that she's a blacksmith! You should see her work. It's really REALLY amazing! She's like, the nicest coolest person ever! Did I ever tell you guys that her name is Kuro?" _This kid..._ Kanda and Allen both think. _IS SO FREAKING ANNOYING_!

Kanda scowl grows bigger as Allen sternly tries to change the topic. "Hey Jett, it's nice that you care about your sister and all, but why does the town hav-"

"Oh the town is pretty old and boring! But all of the people here are nice! Well...except some of the villagers, like the two guys that were bullying me…Their names are Adrian and Lewis. They're always teasing me about how I my sister is a witch. How rude! Calling my sister a witch! But Kuro most of the time comes to rescue me and beats them up. Well...she doesn't beat them up. She just glares at them and they run off. Sometimes she's late and has to patch me up when we get home. I try not to cry but I have to be strong! Just like her! But she always hugs me when we get home and I can't help but to cry like a baby! Ugh it's so embarrassing! Sometimes she cooks my favorite food-"

"COULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP AND ANSWER OUR DAMN QUESTIONS YOU BRAT!" Kanda explodes. "WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID SISTER! JUST TELL US WHY IS EVERYONE HIDING AT NIGHT?"

Jett's face starts to scrunch up as his eyes threaten to turn into waterfalls. Usually Allen would start bickering with Kanda, but he kept quiet. They needed answers.

"Sorry Jett," Allen apologizes. "We didn't mean to upset you. But we didn't come to this town as tourists, we came to see if there's anything mysterious going on here. Earlier, you said that we had to hide when it gets dark. Why is that? And why did those kids back there call your sister a witch?"

Jett wipes his eyes off of the sleeve of his shirt. "Well… I'm not too sure about what happened. But sometimes I would walk past the adults talking. It has something to do with a massacre that happened about 8 years ago. It has something to do with weird creatures that came and killed a lot of people at night. A lot of houses were destroyed too. So from that day forward, the town made a set curfew to keep everyone safe.

"That makes sense." Allen said.

"But why is your sister being called a witch?" Kanda adds.

"My sister said that it's a secret. So I promised not to talk about that to anyone." Jet added. Kanda smirked at him while Allen cocked his head. Jett's cheeks started to turn read as he covered his mouth, realizing what he just said. "Um….so….when I meant to say was…-" suddenly knocking was heard outside of the apartment. He was saved. "Oh that must be my sister!" He jumped up and ran to open the door. A tall, fairly toned, older teenage Asian girl stood in front of them carrying a white bag with vegetables poking from the top. She had long, thin red hair that went to her waist along with bangs that covered parts of her forehead. Her eyes resembled topazes that were basking in the sun. Her top consisted of a button up, short sleeved cupped shirt which slimed her figure. Her plain, black work pants and boots completed her apparel. What ruined her appearance was the dirt, mud and sweat from a day of hard labor

 **KURO'S POV.**

I knock on the door, only to be greeted by Jett as he gives me an innocent smile. "Welcome home Kuro." He greets.

"I'm back…"My voice trails off in surprise of seeing two male teenagers dressed in black and red uniforms in the living room. One of them had snow white hair that went to the back of his neck, accompanied with a star shaped scar that went down his face _._ The other male had a high stature, with his long, beautiful black hair in a tight ponytail. _Who are these people? What are they doing in my house?_ I quickly grabbed Jett's arm and pulled him outside the door then blocked the exit to protect them. "Who are you guys?" I demanded.

"It's ok Kuro!" Jett smiled. "These two saved me when Adrian and Lewis tried to beat me up! And they had nowhere to stay so I brought them here." I looked into his eyes naive eyes which were filled with purity, then looked back at the two teenagers in my house. The one with the white hair waved with a smile on his face. I looked back at Jett. _I can't let him do whatever he wants. Even when he gives me that look._

"Didn't I tell you not to talk to strangers though?" I frowned.

"It's ok! They already told me their names so I know them. And they saved me, so I don't think they're strange at all!" He gave me his gullible smile which pierces through my chest. I accept defeat and stopped barricading the exit, letting Jett back in. I plop the bag of vegetables on the table as the white haired boy stood up to shake my hand.

"Sorry for intruding. My name is Allen Walker." I hesitate for a moment to shake his hand. If these two guys were travelers, I wouldn't be as angry with them. But why are they wearing uniforms?

"Ok." I grudgingly shake his hand then looked at the tall one leaning against the wall looking at us. "Who are you? Might as well introduce yourself since we're all here."

"Che. Name's Kanda." He hissed back. I could feel the anger growing inside my body. What the hell was that 'che'? Is he trying to be an ass? Who does that in someone's own house?

"Don't mind Kanda. He's not the friendliest guy."

"Yea. I can already tell." I insult.

"What the hell did you just say?!"He retorts back.

"Listen. If you're going to barge into my house with that kind of attitude then you might as well leave because people like you aren't welcomed here." My urge to give hospitality turned to an urge to give hostility. Tension floods the room.

"You little Bitch!" He then uncovers a thin case that was hiding under the skirt part of his black uniform, getting ready to draw his sword. _A sword_ huh? I've seen better cases than that but I can't believe he's asking for a fight right here and right now.

"Kanda!" Allen tries to restrain him by grabbing his arms back. "What the hell are doing" I can suddenly feel Jett clinging onto my leg. He looks up into my eyes with despair.

"Please…please don't fight guys…" All of us pause to look at Jett weeping. "Allen and his friend saved me. They're really nice too. Kuro is always working hard so that we can live and eat here. Sometimes I hate her when she makes me eat my vegetables but most of the times she makes meatball, lamb, and all kinds of foods that I like! So please stop fighting." I lower my head in disappointment. _Why did I make you cry? I thought I would always protect you. But now you're hurting because of me._

I put on fake smile and bent down to gently hug Jett as he sniffs his nose. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for us to fight." I rub my hands on his eyes to get rid of his tears. He then looks up to me slightly relived. "Hey. Why don't I make you meatballs tonight? Would that make up for it?"

"Really? You mean it?"

"Yea." I smiled. "Just wait in your room until I'm done talking with these guys. I'll bring you the meatballs when they're done."

Jett sniffs his nose once more and gives me a sad smile. "Ok." He then walks to his room. I can hear the old bed creaking as he gets in. I look back at Allen and Kanda as I dropped the fake act. But I still want to settle this peacefully. I walked into the kitchen and started taking out the groceries. "You guys can stay here just for tonight. I'll start preparing dinner now. Feel free to continue talking while I'm working."

"Sorry about that," Allen apologizes. I'm starting to feel bad for him. It's as if he's carrying his and his idiot partner's weight on his head. "Let's try this again. My name is Allen Walker. I am an exorcist."

"An exorcist?"

"Yes. We are in a massive war right now and our enemy is the Millennium Earl. We as exorcists must slay akuma and gather stray innocence before he destroys it in order to save this world." He pulls his glove and sleeve up, showing his scale-like arm. "I am an accommodator of innocence as well as Kanda. We came here because of some sightings of akuma nearby and akuma usually go after innocence."

"That makes sense. But why do you think there's innocence here?" I said as I rolled ground meat into small balls.

"Didn't you just hear the Moyashi" Kanda suddenly joins. "We came because there's akuma here!" I could see Allen getting frustrated by Kanda's behavior.

I roll my eyes and ignored Kanda. "That makes sense. But why do you think there's innocence here, Allen Walker?" I could hear Kanda's 'che' in the background.

"Well your brother mentioned a massacre that happened 8 years ago. Do you have any more information on that?"

I solemnly looked down at the grown after setting up a pot to boil water. "It was a tragic event. About 8 years ago, around 7 o' clock, about 20-30 creatures invaded Tesus. I'm guessing according to you guys, that they were akuma. About a third of the people that lived here were killed off or went missing that night. Days after, even more people went missing one by one at night. In a swarm of panic, the mayor made a 6:30 o clock curfew to prevent anyone else from going missing. Since then, no one has disappeared. It's not a law that you have to be inside by 6:30, but everyone here just know better. Remember the kids that were bullying Jett? Those are just a few of the people who lost their family here."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Allen sighs. "You have my sympathy."

"That's sad and all but why do people call you a witch?" Kanda asked. I stay silent, trying to ignore his remark that made the evet seem insignificant. "Oi woman. Didn't you hear m-" I cut him off as I attempt to throw a fork at him with full force, causing Allen to shiver. The fork stabs through the wall and misses Kanda by a few inches above his head He didn't look away, jumped or showed any form of expression. He just sat there with his scowl permanently glued to his face. That is what I hate about him the most. Why am I even letting these people into my house? I turn around to finish up the meal by cutting the lettuce up for a salad and place them on the kitchen counter.

"Kuro," Allen said. "We're here to help this town. Any information that you give us can help us achieve our goal." I stop what I'm doing and sigh. It's as if they're trying to pry me open like a book and rip out every single page they can get their hands on. Some of the pages are public, some of the pages are private, while half of the pages were already ripped out years ago.

"It's because according to the townsfolk, I arrived a few days prior of the massacre." Allen looks at me as if he connected the dots. "You've probably noticed that I look nothing like the locals huh? According to the doctors here, apparently I was born in East Asia somewhere. The first memory I have is of me, picking up a wrapped infant off the side of a destroyed building during the aftermath. It would be easy to accuse a foreign stranger with oddly colored hair and no memory as an enemy. That's why some people hate me. Happy now?"

"…yes." Kanda says. Finally an answer with no sass. "That means we have a reason to think that you're an accommodator of innocence."

I don't want to talk about this anymore. I attempt to brush Kanda's words off and end the conversation. "You can think whatever you want to think. But it's time for dinner." I walk to Jett's room and cracked the door, only to see him curled up sleeping. I guess we'll just start without him.

Dinner flew by as we dove later into the night. I was amazed at how much food Allen could eat at one setting. He kept talking about his adventures in a place called "the Black Order". Names like Komui, Leenalee and Lavi flew out of his mouth every so often. I feel like he would be the type of person I would be friends with. I wouldn't say anything. I would just listen to his stories and enjoy his company. On the other hand, Kanda just sat there like an annoyed child silently. Just the way I prefer him. After that, I made Jett a plate of meatballs and vegetables for later and the two exorcist's beds out of extra blankets we had in storage. I took a quick bath and plop onto the small bed in my room, exhausted from today's weird turn of events.


	2. The Genesis Arc Part Two: Master Deo

**Author's note: Hello! I just want to make a notification that I embarrassedly forgot to put in the first chapter.**

 **-This takes place in the original -Man universe, right before Timothy joins the Black Order. The only change is that Link does not exist. I realized that Link was not with Allen right after I uploaded the chapter. I tried to squish him into the story right after but it felt like he was just a rushed asset. I also didn't want to retcon the story when 25 people already viewed it along with two reviews. I am sorry for the inconvenience. I already planned for the story to head in a different direction compared to the manga (as most OC fanfics do) but with the same core idea.**

 **Too add on...**

 **This chapter was almost 2,000 more words compared to the last one and I fear that I'll lose your attention. Should I shorten it? Make the chapters longer? Write it however I want to write it? Just some ideas flying around in my head.**

 **Also**

 **I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions, ideas, or ways to make the story flow better, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

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The sun blazes through my window and forces me to wake up. I turn around and look at the clock on the side of my room. _6 o' clock._ It's as if my body is programed to wake up at the same time every day. I remove my top, pajamas and chest binder and look into the mirror with just my underwear. With my index finger, I trace over the triangle birthmark the size of a fist planted on my left breast. It slightly singes to touch, causing me to flash back to Kanda's words last night.

"That means we have a reason to think that you're an accommodator of innocence."

 _Is this…considered abnormal? I mean, it's just a birthmark…right?_ I must be over thinking things. And even if I am an accommodator, I can't leave my home. People are finally starting to trust me here and I don't want to lose it. I begin to bind my chest back up and slip on a simple, light gray, short sleeved shirt with a button up collar until something is caught in the corner of my eye. A yellow, round ball with wings, a cross and a spiral tail was sitting on my window sill. _What the hell!?_ I pull my top down and run to the window, only to see that the weird round ball disappeared. _I must be seeing things._ I jump into a new pair of black work pants and head out to make Jett breakfast before I go to work.

I opened the door to see the black haired exorcist with his suitcase. Next to him was his fellow white haired teammate who was still snoring on the floor. He puts on his shoes and tries to make his way out the door. "Good morning." I greet. Kanda pauses and glares at me. I've forgotten about the rotten attitude and childish remarks he gave me last night. Thank goodness I'll never have to see him again.

"If the Moyashi asks where I went, tell him that I left without him." Kanda barks. The next thing I hear is the door slamming. I glance back at Allen, undisrupted from the commotion Kanda caused. _How can someone sleep like that?_ Suddenly, I hear the door behind me creaking.

"Good morning Kuro," Jett as he came out rubbing his eye. He already had on his shoes, a green long sleeved shirt and khakis ready to go somewhere.

"You're up early. Why's that"

"Andel and I are having a sleepover! It's. Going to be so much fun! Now excuse me."

"Wait! Hold on! It's chilly today." He tries to walk outside the front door only to be greeted by a strong chill and shivers. I can't help but to sigh. _What am I going to do with this child? "_ Can you wait for a few minutes?"

"Aww," Jett puffs out his cheeks and crosses his arms. "Ok. Only because you want me to."

"Thanks!" I dashed to my room and grabbed a black trench coat. The cloth was slick and could be closed with a zipper down the middle. This should keep Jett warm, but how do I adjust it for his size? A few moments of deep thought went down until I was struck with an epiphany. I took everything off of my top half and put the middle of the coat to the triangle birthmark, singeing a single spot loosely to fold the inside in half. _Never thought of using that method as emergency glue._ Putting all of my clothes back on, I grab the trench coat and run back to Jett, who was now playing with Allen's hair through his fingers. "Jett I don't think it's nice to play with other people's hair."

"Why not?" Jett cocks his head to the side in confusion. "You're ok with me touching your hair. And Kanda was too."

"Yea but I'm your sis-wait. Did you say that Kanda was OK with you playing with his hair?"

"Yes."

"When was that?"

"When he was sleeping. I gave him pigtails all over his head and braided each one. I took them out before he woke up though." I instantly imagine Kanda with childlike long pigtails and try to hold my hysterical laughter with my hand to avoid waking Allen up. "You should've seen it! It would've been my 'may-gun o-ess!'"

"D-d-do you mean 'your magnum opus?" I stutter over my words as I calm down.

"Yea! I tried to wake you up but you were mumbling in your sleep. I figured that you needed rest."

"Eh? What was I saying?"

"You said something about taking people away. You said my name a couple of times" My expression flips and I look down to the ground as I clench my fists. "Kuro are you ok?" Jett then walks to me and hugs my waist due to our massive height differences. "Please don't cry. I won't play with anyone's hair ever again. I promise." _No...Don't say that. You've already given me so much happiness. I don't want you to worry._ I shake my head to brush off the miserable residue from a few moments ago, bent down to reach his height and hugged him while rubbing his hair. _I won't let anyone take me away from you. Even if I am an innocence accommodator, I will never leave you_.

"Oh I almost forgot!" I said. I grabbed my modified trench coat and placed it in Jett's hands. "I want you to wear this for the entire time when you're outside. We need to get you a new jacket and I don't want you to get sick now."

"But Kuro…" Jett started off. "This is your favorite jacket. Are you sure you're going to let me use it? And how did you make it smaller?"

"Oh I just used some simple tailoring tricks," I said as I help him put the jacket on. _Yea. That's what they are. Just simple tailoring tricks._ I go to the fridge and take out the leftover meatballs I made for him last night. A big ear to ear smile grew as his eyes twinkled in delight.

"You saved some left for me?!" He then grabs the plate and works his way towards the door. "Thank you!"

"Stay safe! Tell Andel's family that I said hi!"

"Kay!" The door is shut and silence fills the room.

"I can tell that you really love your brother, Kuro." Ants run down my spine, forgetting that one person was still left in the house. I turned around to see Allen, sitting with his legs crossed and gently smiling at me with his hand on his cheek. "Didn't mean to startle you. Good morning."

"G-g-good morning Allen," I can feel my face getting hotter and hotter with every passing second. "How long were you listening for."

"Hmm…since your brother walked in here and started playing with my hair."

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"Oh it's fine. No worries"

"Anyways I need to leave for work. I need you to come with me so I can lock the door behind us. I'm assuming that you have your items gathered."

"Kuro," Allen's eyes get more series along with his tone of voice.

"Yea?"

"I wanted to talk to you more about being an exorcists."

"I'm STILL that big of a suspect to you guys?" I roll my eyes.

"Not a suspect, but a lead. And you're the closest one we have so far. I feel like you're hiding something from us. We are short on exorcists right now and we need as much help that we can get." _I can't go. I won't go. You won't make me leave my friends and family._ "It's hard and dangerous work, but the end reward will be worth it."

I nod my head. "It makes sense. But why are you bringing the topic back up today?"

Allen looks down to avoid eye contact with me. "Because I talked with Kanda last night. We both think that you're not telling us everything you know." I can feel my chest being weighed down from that statement.

"Well...what else do you expect from someone you barely knew for a day?"

"We know. Which is why we headed out late last night to bordering towns." My legs jitter. Each second that passes, it feels like I'm being pulled away. Away from my home. "Most of the people we talk to were too drunk to give us information about you. But the one thing we learned about you was that according to a group of swordsmen from a neighboring town, you can create pretty good swords. We knew that you're a blacksmith from Jett but I didn't think you were THAT GOOD. One described it as if you used magic to fix his."

"They were probably drunk as hell," I snort. _"_ I just fix them like any other blacksmith would."

"We know. So we wanted to see you make one today. BaKanda's probably been waiting at the shop. I suggested that we could just follow you, but he left anyway." He then gives me a soft smile. I'm starting to hate that smile more and more every time he uses it. I can't tell if he's being genuinely nice or if he's planning something _._

I sigh. "Go ahead. You'll see nothing out of the ordinary. But after that you need to stop investigating me alr-" I grasp my chest in pain and fall on the floor.

"Kuro!" Allen rushes to my aid. "What happened?!" I put my right hand to the side of my chest only to get burned. _This doesn't make sense. And it's even hotter than before._ Seeing Allen hovering over me, I jump up and tried to think of an excuse to get him off my back.

"I'm fine! It was probably a random cramp or something! Anyways if I don't leave now I'll be late for work." He stares at me with worry written all over his face.

"Sure. I'll be ready in a few minutes." He then started to put on his red and black uniform and buttons it up.

I suddenly catch something yellow in the corner of my eye again. Allen and I both turned our heads towards the window to see the weird, winged yellow ball. "Timcanpy!" Allen shouted. Allen then gets up and opens the window, letting the creature in and sits on his shoulder. _How cute_

"What's that?" I ask.

"It's a golem we use back at the Black Order. His name is Timcanpy"

"So THAT was thing I saw this morning."

"What?"

"When I woke up this morning, I saw him on my window sill outside looking into my room."

"He probably wanted to get inside. I sent him out last night to scan the area for akuma. Did you find anything Tim?" The small golem shakes nods his head. He then opens up his moth, showing his sharp teeth as it brings up a blurry projection. Allen squints his eyes in confusion. "What did he capture last night?" Allen face suddenly turns tomato red.

"I want to see too." I sit on my knees besides him as the picture comes into focus. My whole body explodes with embarrassment and anger. A zoomed in projection of me changing my chest binding was shown; exposing my small breast and the triangle tattoo. "ALLEN…." I mutter as I clench my fists. "Why is your golem showing that?" Allen quickly scoots away from me in panic and precaution. Beads of sweat drip from his forehead.

"S-s-s-sorry Kuro. Tim usually doesn't film that kind of stuff. Well he shouldn't have." He then glares at him. "Anyway! I'll see you at the blacksmith ok bye!" He then grabbed Tim along with his items and fled out the door.

"ALLEN!"

* * *

The streets of Tesus once deprived with life is now animated with various food stands, kid playing and advertisers shouting about their sales. Allen and I strolled down the street with an invisible wall in between us. A pink hand print was planted on the right side of his cheek along with his scar. Tim hid on the opposite side of his shoulder, shivering in fear. Hell I would too if I was his situation. Each passing minute or so I could feel someone stabbing us with scowls filled with annoyance, frustration and pain. Some kids would point fingers at me as their mothers pull them away in fear. Scowls that I'm assuming Allen felt as well. _No. I'm not like that. I didn't do anything!_

"Hey Kuro," Allen destroys my train of thoughts in attempt to start a conversation. But I refuse to join it. "Kuro can you hear me?"

"..."

"Is it just me or are people avoiding you?"

"..."

"I'm sorry about this morning."

"..."

"I'm pretty sure Tim didn't mean it either. **Isn't that right Tim?!** " He glared daggers at the yellow golem, causing it to lower its head. "Everything he records is usually for a good reason. Maybe it was about the thing on your chest?" I make a sharp right and Allen stops in confusion. "Wait. Isn't the blacksmith shop over there?" He points to a sterling brick house-like structure with a small deck that projected out from the back.

"Yes, but we're making a quick pit stop."

"Why?"

"Because it's going on 9 o'clock and I'm late for work. So I'm getting an excuse of being late." We then enter a small, acorn colored bakery named 'Leda and Deo's'. The aroma of hot cinnamon and butter welcomes us with open arms. Just from this I can hear Allen salivating along with his stomach roaring. Windows were covered with posters of their trademark item; Lenten apple pie. The front was lined with cases of various deserts and traditional Greek baked sweets. The cashier had her back turned against us as she fumbles with jars of cookies. "Hiya Mrs. Leda!" I call. A round, petite lady with short, curly russet hair and a white apron turns around and beams.

"Hi Kuro! Long time no see! Oh who's that?" She leans over the counter and scans Allen as he backs up violated. "Is that your bo-"

"Mrs. Leda not every man that walks in behind me is my boyfriend."

"Ahaha ha ha. I'm just playing with you." She then grabs a brown bag and flaps it open. "How's Jett?"

"He's well as always."

"You're too sweet for your own good Kuro!" Allen glances back and forth between up trying to catch our three minute conversation. "So what would you like?"

"Can I have 20 apple pies please? And can you split them into two bags?"

"20?" Her eyes widen. "Are you having a party?"

"Yea I guess you could say that." She carefully wraps each slice with newspaper and gently places them in their desire bags. "That should be about 20,000 drachmas." I pull my wallet out and placed the payment in her palm.

I give one of the bags to Allen and he gets a good whiff. "These smell delicious Mrs. Leda!"

"Awww. Thank you Kuro's boy-"

"Mrs. Leda, please. I haven't even know him for a day. This is the 12th time this month." Allen drops a tear sweat as she cackles, leading to us heading out the door. "Thanks Mrs. Leda."

"Tell Deo I said hi!" She smiles.

"Will do!" Once we get outside, Allen's stomach cry's again. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," His stomach rumbles again. "I haven't eaten anything yet. And my innocence requires me to eat a lot."

"I know that but why aren't you eating?" He stares at the bag filled with the wrapped apple pie slices and looks at me.

"You got them for me?"

"I'm still mad at you about earlier but that doesn't mean that I would starve you. Why else did I get 20 of them?" I grab one of the wrapped pies in my bag and unraveled it, letting the wind catch and take away the sweet aroma of apple and caramelized brown sugar. One bite in and small pieces of the flaky crust fly away, leaving me with the gooey apple filling inside. "By the way, the bag I'm holding is not for you." I turn around to see Allen's bag completely empty. The only trace of apple pie was all over his face.

"Thank you for the meal Kuro." He says as he wipes his mouth off with a handkerchief. _Where does all of that food even go?_ Bells suddenly chime in the distance a few times.

"It's past nine! Shit!" I curse. I pushed my bag onto Allen and started sprinting towards the old , gray building. "Follow me! Hurry! Or this bag of pies won't save me!"

"Wait for me Kuro!" I heard Allen calling behind me.

The closer I get to the blacksmith, the closer I see Kanda, leaning adjacent to the door with his arms cross and eyes closed. Once I arrive, I fall to my knees and pant, turning my head to see Allen catching up. Sorry Allen, but I'm not willing to get murdered today.

"Where the hell have you been?" I turn around to see Kanda's signature scowl.

"What do you mean 'where the hell I've been'" I retort as I get up. "Why are you even here anyways?"

"I've been waiting here for THREE FUCKING HOURS for you to be here!" He raises his voice. "The locals here said that you worked here and the place opens at seven!"

"Yea but that doesn't mean that I work at seven." I let out a loud sigh. "Didn't you ever think of that?" He stares at me for a second as the surrounding area grows quiet until Allen catches up huffing and puffing.

"I'm….here." Allen tries to catch his breath.

"Sorry Allen. I didn't mean to leave you like that." I offer my hand to pull Allen and he accepts it. "See Kanda? You could've waited for me. That way I could've told you my work schedule to make everything easier for you…." My chest feels as if it's being stabbed through. I wince in pain. _Dammit...not now...not in front of these two._ I move my hand towards the left side of my chest and lightly press on it. _And it's burning even more._

"Kuro!" Allen comes to my aid. "Are you ok?" He moves his hand towards my chest, hovering it above. "Why are you so warm?"

I quickly push his hand away and look for an excuse. "I...probably ate too fast. It's nothing important."

"Che. Serves you right."

"You're one to talk, Bakanda." I retort. Allen chuckles as Kanda grasps the sword case on his belt.

"You bitch! Say one more thing and I'll slice you up an-" the front door slams open, punching Kanda and sandwiching him between the wall and the door. He then falls to the ground holding his nose. A tall, skinny man is shot 10 feet away and lands with his face in the dirt.

"AND NEVER COME BACK UNTIL YOU PAY YOUR DAMN BILL YOU BASTARD!" A low, alto voice roared from inside. He's already in a foul mood. I'm screwed aren't I? Stomps can be heard, one by one as they get louder by the second. I turned to Allen who's vibrating behind me. Out of the pitch black room came a towering muscular bald man with a blonde mustache and bright blue eyes. He wore a tight brown shirt, Black pants, brown boots and a tool belt. If one word could be used to describe my master, it would be 'manly'.

I snatch the bag of baked pies from Allen who is still behind me and smiled. "Sorry about being late Master Doe. I ran into your wife and she wanted me to bring you these!" My eyes stray away from his during confrontation. His expression softens and picks up the bag from my hands. Master Deo takes a small sniff from the bag of now warm pies and smiles. This trick always works.

"Damnit. You know me too well Kuro." That was too easy. I could've sworn he would've hit me. "But two words of advice:" I then see his hand move towards his mallet on his waist. _Oh no…_

 **WHACK!**

The next thing I knew I was on the ground holding my head as he hovers over me with the mallet.

"Try a little harder when you're lying. And don't use the same trick three times in a row." His eyes turn towards Allen, who was shaking twice as much.

"Um how do you do sir?" He then bows his head down to his waist.

"Who's this kiddo?"

"My name is Allen Walker, sir." Master Deo then looks back at me, looking for an explanation.

"He's a friend of mine that wanted to see what I do for a living."

"...makes sense." He then steps back, showing Kanda pushing the door after recovering from door accident with blood dripping from his nose.

"And who's this ponytailed guy?"

"Sir. That's my par-I mean friend. His name is Kanda"

"Is that so?" Kanda then pushes harder and harder on the door, trying to make enough room for him to escape.

"What the hell did you just call me you old geezer? Let me out or I'll slic-" Kanda's was once again sandwiched by the door and the wall of the building, except with more force this time

"Well come on in Walker, Kuro!" Master Deo slides out and lets the two of us inside. "Oh and Ponytail? You can come in once you learn to respect your elders." He then softly closes the door behind him.

The walls are covered with an array of swords and weapons. Everything from flails to battle axes can be bought, fixed or ordered in this small shop. A rectangular barred window hovers over a small wooden table which was located in the corner along with two chairs.

"Wow," Allen said. "I've never seen so many weapons at once in a single room!"

"Go ahead and sit down Walker. I'll make you some tea." Master Deo then walks towards me and grabs my shoulder. "Hey Kuro, the guy that I kicked out a few moments ago refused to pay his repair fees. We still have them but the swords were already shitty to begin with. I need you to reinforce the blades to make them worth selling. I left the swords back outside."

"Understood." I grabbed my brown bag of tools off the table and head back out to the stone deck and closed the door behind me. Wait...I'll work on the swords later, but i think Allen and Master's conversation is more important. I then ran to the other side of the building where the table was and tried to hear their conversation.

"Thank you for the tea sir."

"Please, just call me Deo."

"I wouldn't have assumed that you were the kind of person who would offer tea at a weapon shop."

"You thought I was the type of man that would yell and throw stuff at people all day? Pffft-hahahaha! If I did, my face would be stuck just like your ponytailed friend back there! If I didn't act like that, all of the customers would take advantage of me!"

"That makes sense."

"So Walker, why did you come here?"

"Huh? I just wanted to see where my friend Kuro worked."

"Don't play dumb with me. I may be an old man but I'm not a fool. Kuro doesn't have any friends. She's too stubborn and scared to make any. Why would two teens in a military-like uniform follow her as if they're her friend?"

"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. I just want to know more about her."

"It's fine, don't worry about it too much. I'm just looking out for her."

"You almost sound like you're her father."

"You could say that. I mean I have been looking out for her since she was 12."

"Eh? For that long?"

"It's a long story."

"Don't worry. I have a lot of time."

"...fine. About 7 years ago, our town was barely surviving winter. Most of the people here lost their houses and families from last year's massacre. The houses that did survived were on the verge of collapsing. And the one who they believed that caused the incident, Kuro, has disappeared. But on top of that word went around that there was an unidentified thief going around, pickpocketing other people for food. One day I was able to get my hands on some soup for my wife and started walking back to this shop until a small child wearing a white long jacket jumped on me, grabbed the container, and fled away. I would chase her but in the end, I would lose her. This went on for a few days until I was finally able to catch up with her. But I stopped. Only to see a small red headed girl trying to feed a toddler the soup underneath an icy bridge. She would cup her hands and try to tip the soup into the toddler's mouth, spilling most of it onto the snow covered ground. After that she took off her jacket and wrap it around the small child and hurdled it from the harsh weather. This was the child people said that destroyed the town. This was the child people believe that killed thousands of people.

The next day I decided to test something different. I placed a roll of bread on my deck and waited for her to come and take it. She grabbed it. I followed her back to the bridge and hid behind a tree. Instead of breaking it in half and sharing it, she broke it into small pieces, dunked it into the snow to soften it and fed the whole thing to the small toddler. The day after, I left out two rolls and a small cup of soup. She took it. I followed. She ended up doing the same thing. On the third day, we were in the middle of a snow storm. I placed two rolls in a small blanket and left it outside. I saw her struggling to walk up to my deck, grab the bundle and run back. I followed. She wrapped the blanket up around the toddler along with her hoodie. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't stand to see this child suffer. The next day rolled over. I placed the rolls on the deck and waited for her to come back with a plan of talking to her. She didn't. I ran to the bridge to see a small toddler trying to wake up a small, thin blue body.

I took her and the toddler back to my house. My wife was furious with me. She didn't want a criminal to be welcomed into our family. But I was able to coax her...I'm sorry. I got carried away didn't I?"

"...oh no! It's fine. I have to say, you're a very kind and noble person. Sometimes, I find it interesting how someone's back story can shape who they are in the end."

"Oh really? She can be a smartass now and then even now. Before she was a brat 24/7 but I'm proud to say that I've even her down enough. I was able to put her to work and help me out around here. I didn't expect to come across a prodigy. See the machete hanging to the left? The one covered with various metal sequins on the handle? That one's only made for display and she did it all by herself. Once she started making the town millions from rich outside customers, the town began to thrive and people started to accept her. Not like, but no one would run after her with the intent to kill."

I stop listening to the conversation close myself off from the world. I didn't want anyone to know that I was weak. I don't want to remember back then. I want to be in the present.

"What the hell are you doing Woman?" I jump up and back away to see Kanda glaring over me.

"What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that Kanda? You scared me!" I retort back.

"Che. The old man locked me outside. So I'm stuck with you." He then sits down against the wall next to me. No words are exchanged between us. I look up into the vast blue sky. Only one white, fluffy cloud rides the wind as a robin and a crow fly pass. When Kanda's attitude isn't present, his handsome features relax and shows a different side to him. I wasn't talking to him. And he wasn't trying to talk to me. We were just enjoying the tranquil ambiance that was given on this day together. It was...nice.

"Why the hell are you staring at me Woman?"

"Huh?" I instantly snap out of it. "I was staring at you?"

"Che." Since he is around and doesn't seem as hostile as he usually is, I might as well get to know him.

"Kanda?"

"What?"

"Can I see your sword?" He then looks at me disgusted.

"Excuse me?"

"Well I am a blacksmith in training. I've fixed, remolded and created weapons from scratch for years. From morning stars to sickles, I've made them all. But I specialize in swords."

"No way in hell."

"Just think about it for a minute! If it's chipped I can fix it."

"No."

"Sharpen?"

"No."

"I can give it a good polish."

"I SAID NO DAMMIT!"

"Oh come on. We might as well try to get along since we're out here." I smiled brightly. Kanda looks at me with shock and pushes the sword case to me and turns around

"Here. Take it." He mumbles. "Just….don't do anything stupid with it." What the hell? Most people would want to kill me if I ask to see their weapon for no reason. And Kanda was holding on to it as if it's was his child. I carefully and slightly unsheathed the black and white case. My eyes widen in amazement.

"Wow! An authentic Japanese katana! It must've been hard to get!"

"Che."

"And it even has a fuller!"

"A what?" He then turns his back around and scoots closer to me. Is Kanda...actually interested in what I'm saying?

"Y-Yea. You see the wavy part that goes through the blade? Authentic Japanese swords usually have them implemented to make the sword more flexible to cut through tissue." I tilt the sword back to see a crisp reflection of myself. "I can tell that you take a lot of time and effort maintaining the quality of the sword."

"Che."

"Most of the swords I see are chipped and dulled out. I wished some of my customers would take care of..." I feel my head hitting the ground as my chest burns. Everything around me blurs out as if I'm underwater.

"Kuro. Oi! KURO!" I can feel Kanda shaking my shoulders but his face and voice is clouded.

"Kanda…it hurts." I move my hand and grip onto the triangle birthmark. It feels like any second now my heart is about to explode. My hand is moved to the side and I can feel him straddling around my waist and trying to unbutton my top. _No...Stop...I'm not an exorcist. I'm not an accommodator. I'm not a witch. I didn't hurt anyone. Don't take me away. Please...stop it. Stop it please...STOP!_ I try to flail my arms around and push him off, but my strength was gone a long time ago.

"Stop moving you idiot! I'm trying to see what's wrong…" his voice starts to fade away. I can barely keep my eyes open. I feel my shirt being unbuttoned to the bottom, revealing my wrapped chest. A hand moves towards it, then draws it back with steam coming off it. I see Kanda moving his lips, but nothing's coming out. Everything is null. He then take his sword and slices the bandages off. Lips are moving. Nothing comes out. I can feel his back on my chest as I'm being carried off. I lose everything. My hearing, my sight, my mind, and now my friends as I black out.


	3. The Genesis Arc Part Three: Goodbyes

**AN: Thank you for checking out my story! It means a lot! I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

My world goes blank as if I'm drowning through the void. My senses are blocked out. Is this the afterlife?

" _No. You are alive."_ A hear a deep, tranquil voice from somewhere. Where is it coming from?

" _You are inside of me_." This voice...sounds familiar.

Do...I know you?

" _Yes. You've known me for all of your life. From the day your mother gave birth to you, up to today. Even during the years that you have forgotten about me, when you wandered as soulless husk from the inferno of your home, I've always been with you."_

That doesn't make sense.

" _It will soon, my child. For the past eight years, I've become stronger and stronger every passing day in this seal. If I'm not released, I will break you. If you were to disappear from this world, You will break me. I cannot allow this."_ A small red light appears above me in the distance, forming a flaming arm-like figure as it gestures to take my hand. _"Come child. And together we can be complete once again."_ Indistinctly, I reach my hand towards the figure, only for my arm to be snatched. The fire spreads up my arm, trying to engulf my entire being.

No...STOP! I didn't agree to this. Let me go!

"I won't let either of us disappear! I need you to exist in this world! This world cannot survive with losing the last one in the … ….! Now let us synchronize once more!" The vibrant flames ran up my body as I can see nothing but red and orange.

Stop...please…Stop!

STOP IT!

* * *

"KURO WAKE UP!" I feel my shoulders being jerked from side to side. I slowly open my eyes to see myself in my bed with Jett's hands on my shoulders. Allen is sitting on a chair right next to the bed with Timcanpy on his head.

"Jett?" My voice comes out harsh and slow.

"You're OK!" His eyes began to water as he sniffs his nose. Still dazed, I struggle to prop myself up in a sitting position. I gently move my arm around his back and pull him closer to me.

"Shhh...Everything will be ok." I patted his back as he starts to calm down.

"You started to scream in your sleep Kuro." Allen commented. "You gave both of us quite the scare you know?"

"How did I get back to my room?"

"Well…Kanda rushed into the shop with you in his arms. Your master showed us the way back to your house. Jett came in looking for you about a half an hour ago.

"Oh. Where's Kanda?"

"He's in the kitchen talking to our chief back at headquarters." I gulped. _Headquarters_? Did they find out about the marking on my chest? Well, Allen already got a glimpse of it but...how can they prove that it's innocence?

"Hey Sis, why are you shaking?" I look back at him, seeing worry in his eyes. I smile back to mask my own fear.

"Oh it's nothing! Don't worry!" The bedroom door then creaks open, showing the black haired exorcist with a black golem. Compared to Allen's golem, Tim, the black golem was three times smaller with bat wings and had an eye for a face.

"Moyashi, Woman, we need to talk."

"My name is Allen BaKanda!" Allen spits back. "And your idiot brain can't even remember Kuro's name? That's just sad." Static appears between the two teenagers along with the golems while Jett and I watch. Allen then looks back at me with an honest look. "Kanda's right Kuro. We do need to talk."

I let out a big sigh. "Hey Jett, can you wait outside in the living room for a while?" He cocks his head at me in confusion. "It won't take too long, ok?"

"Ok." Jett mumbles as he makes his way towards the door. "But before I go, can I ask you a favor Allen?"

"Sure. What is it?

"Before you leave, can you let me play with the ball on your shoulder?" Tim starts to secrete beads of sweat down his bulbous body. _Is that thing even alive?_

"That's not a ball," Allen giggles nervously. "His name is Timcanpy"

"Then can I play with Tim before you leave? Kandy won't let me play with his and I don't know why. He's so mean!"

"Watch it brat!" Kanda snorts

"Hey don't talk like that to him!" We both exchange glares as static is created. Is this what Allen goes through when he's with this idiot every day?

Jett gets behind Allen in fear of a brawl. Allen then lets out a big breath of air and rubs Jett's head.

"Sure. I'll let you play with Tim later."

"Thank you!" Jett then prances out and closes the door, leaving me, Allen and Kanda alone.

"Che. What a troublesome brat."

"Says the pot to the kettle Kanda!" I retort back as Kanda's scowl gets tighter. "Anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well..." Allen scratches his cheek and adverts his eyes to the ceiling. "I didn't tell you the whole story...about what happened before you woke up."

I gave him a confused look. What does he mean by that?

"When Kanda brought you back into the shop and laid you down, a small part of your shirt was on fire." My eyes widen.

"What?!"

"It wasn't an uncontrollable fire or anything! It just stayed there on top of your triangle tattoo. We tried throwing water on it to stop the flame but nothing happened. The flame stopped a few minutes later and Deo told us the directions back to your house so we can take you back home to sleep. Jett only came here about 15 minutes ago looking for you. He even changed your top." I looked down to see myself wearing a terribly buttoned up shirt. Every other hole was either paired with the wrong button or was empty, leaving my shirt to look wrinkled and bumpy. I must have worried him and my Master. But...what now? It's a fact now that there is something wrong with me. Will I have to go with them?

"Deo also mentioned something interesting." Allen continued.

"What did he say?"

"He said that when you made weapons, the metal would turn red, as if you were unconsciously heating up and melding the metal to make the weapon."

* * *

 **Five years ago**

"Hey Kuro!" Deo calls to me while I'm sitting in the middle of his living room as I study one of his picture books. Jett stumbles around, still new to walking. "Would you like to learn how to make a weapon?"

"Why the hell would I?" I retort back. "Even your wife thinks that I deserve to be dead! The only reason why I'm still here is because Jett stopped eating when she threw me out."

"Well…" He then sat down next to me and rubbed my head. "What if I told you that If you become really good at it people will start to like you?"

My eyes widen. "...how?"

"Well when you're one of the few people that has a talent as cool as that, people that need their swords to be fixed will only come to you. So some people will start to talk to you and like you."

"...are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure." He then picked me up like a sack of potatoes and threw me on his back. "C'mon! We have work to do!"

"Wait! I haven't decided yet! Let me go!" He didn't release me until we made it all the way down the dirt road where the stone house was.

The next thing I knew was that I was on a rocky deck outside with my arms crossed in rejection of the idea. Everything I saw was wavy from the intense heat the molten rock created in the bins. Deo pulls out red metal stick with tongs and places it onto the top of an anvil. He then turns around to me shirtless with a big hammer in his hands

"Aren't you burning up?" He asked. Beads of sweat were rolling down every inch of his body. I, on the other hand felt comfortable in my long sleeved blue shirt.

"No."

He gives me a strange look. "You're a strange kid."

I rolled my eyes. "Yea I get that a lot; from everyone actually."

"Anyways it's time to forage the piece of hot metal." He gently gives me the hammer by the handle. My arms drop instantly from the weight.

"Don't you have a smaller hammer?" I asked, still struggling to hold it.

"Nope. Now what you need to do is hit the hot piece of metal into the shape of the sword. Don't worry about accuracy for now. I can fix up any mistakes you make." He pushes me towards the anvil with the hammer still dangling in my hands. I stare at the red rectangular metal bar with an idea.

"Can't I just hit it with my hands? It looks soft." He then starts to cackle.

"You idiot. You won't be able to use your hand after that! They'll be burned up!" But it was too late. Before he could finish, a loud "clunk" could be heard. The metal piece slightly changed shaped and my slightly smoking hand was above it. He stared at me.

"What?" I asked. "It worked."

"What the hell are you doing?" He then grabbed me by the waist to stop me. He ran me over to the river and placed my hand into the freezing water, only to realize that I was fine.

* * *

I didn't really think of that as "weird". It was just something stupid that I did when I was little. And I kept doing that as my "go to" for foraging a sword. But why did I ever think of even touching it to begin with? Most kids at the age of 14 aren't that stupid to touch a red glowing object. It doesn't add up.

"You're still hiding something, aren't you Woman?" Kanda snarled. I rolled my eyes.

"Does it matter? Since when was my job any of your business?"

"Kuro," Allen said. "I need to ask you to do something." He Then gets on one knee and looks me in the eyes

"Yes?"

"Can you show us the tattoo?" My face instantly turns red. "We need to see how the tattoo is intertwined with you. I'm sure you're well aware that you're an accommodator by now." I grip the blanket that was once on top of me and lowered my head. I didn't ask for this. They're going to take me away aren't they? I can't leave. Not now at least. But I should at least just follow along with what they're saying.

"Yea… I know" I spoke softly.

"Um…" he starts to blush heavily. "I've never had to ask a lady to undress before, let alone in front of me...how should we do th-"

"Allen, Tim, get out. Kanda can stay."

"Wait! Hold on a minute! That makes no sense! Why do I have to leave when he can stay?" Allen demanded.

"Because if it wasn't for this morning I would be able to trust you and Tim! But not anymore!"

Allen lets out a huge sigh and makes his way towards the bedroom door. "Alright. That makes sense." I quickly get up and lock the door behind him to make sure that no one can enter or exit.

Now it's just me and the idiotic swordsman in the bedroom.

"Please…turn around Kanda," I ask him, blushing.

"Che." He then follows my instructions. I turn around as well and face the wall. I slowly unravel the horribly buttoned up shirt. I can feel my pulse coarse get through my veins, causing my hands to shake.

"Hurry it up Woman." He demands.

"Oh shut up. This is embarrassing for me." I get down to the bottom and left my shirt open to see something new. The triangle mark now had a strange symbol inside of it. Two faint parallel, hollow lines like pipes were now coming out of it on each side of my chest. I slowly turn around to see Kanda, like a good loyal dog with his back turned against me.

"I'm almost done."

"Che."

I adjusted to shirt so that you could only see a small part of the tattoo, attempting to cover up as much of my chest as possible. "You can look now."

He then turns around. My face is a read as a tomato.

"It changed." He said.

"Huh?"

"The tattoo is not the same anymore." He then uses his finger and pokes the edge of the triangle, causing me to shiver. His cold yet soft fingers traces up and across the black border and towards the edge of my shown skin. Kanda clicks his tongue.

"Take the rest of it off."

"...What?"

"You heard me. Take the rest of the shirt off."

"Why? I showed you the tattoo. I followed your directions."

"No you didn't. You showed me part of the tattoo. Take it all off". _Is this ponytailed guy serious?_

"No."

"Take the rest of it off. Now."

"No way in hell."

"Do it Woman."

"Then make me damnit!" I shouldn't have said that because next thing I know he was on top of me trying to wrestle the shirt off. I tried to push him off me with one of my arms while holding together the shirt with the other, but it was no use. He was stronger than me.

He then pushed me onto the ground while still holding on to one of my sleeves, pulling me completely out of the shirt and left on the floor with my chest towards him. I could see the lines of the tattoo go towards each arm and wraps around loosely like a snake as it stops at my wrists. I cup my hands over each breast in embarrassment.

"There!" I yelled with my eyes starting to water as my face becomes redder than my hair. "Are you happy now?!" But when I looked at him, he was gawking, taken aback as if there was a monster in the room. The room goes silent.

"Kuro, are you ok?" I hear Allen knocking from the other side of the door. "Did BaKanda do something? Do I need to break this door down?"

"No!" I answer back frantically. "I'm fine! Please don't break the door down Allen!"

I turn my head to glare back at Kanda, who was still staring at my chest. "What?"

"Che," he clenches his chest as if his heart was about to stop. _What's with him?_ He then throws my shirt back to me. "Put it back on." I start to button the shirt down. Halfway down, he grabs my arm and pulls me out of my room.

"Hey! What are you doing now? Stop dragging me like a toy!" I then see Allen sitting on the couch next to Jett. Timcanpy was stretched out like an overused chew toy as he laid on Allen's lap.

"Moyashi," Kanda says as he's still clutching onto my arm "We're leaving to go to headquarters right now.

"My name is Allen BaKa- wait why?!"

"She has innocence. Now stop asking questions and let's g-"

"Hey who said that I was going with you guys?" I snatched my arm back from his grip.

"You are accommodated with innocence. And that means you're an exorcist"

"Yea but I didn't say that I was going join to your little exorcist club!" I can see Jett on the couch getting confused and scared with the situation.

"Calm down Kuro," Allen puts his hand on my shoulder in attempt to comfort me. "We can talk about this. And Kanda why do you have to be so aggressive?"

"Baka Moyashi! Don't you remember our jobs as exorcists?"

"So your jobs are kidnapping people and taking them to some unknown place? Some exorcists you guys are!" I yell.

Jett suddenly jumped up in front of the couch and stood between me and Kanda with his arms out. Silence floods the room. "I won't let you take her…" He stutters with his legs shaking. "She said that she didn't want to go with you guys. S-s-so just leave us alone." Kanda then rolls his eyes.

"Che. We are on orders from chief Komui to destroy any akuma in the area. And if we are to find innocence, we need to bring it back to the Black Order. Even if it's by force!"

"THEN YOU CAN TELL CHIEF KOMUI TO KISS MY ASS BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" I scream. Suddenly, Kanda's black golem that was in the back of the hallway started to buzz. An unfamiliar clouded voice came through like a telephone.

"This is Komui. Kanda, Allen, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Allen calls across the room.

"Is everything going well with our newest exorcist?"

"Che. She's refusing to go."

"Is that so? Hmmmm… well if you bring her here then maybe we can warm her up about this place! I have to go or else Rever will think that I'm slacking off again. See you three soon." All of the eyes in the room go back to me.

"You see, you don't have a choice here!" Kanda then pushes Jett onto the floor and attempts to grab my arm. Before he snatched mine, I grabbed his arm, pulled his body towards me and kicked his leg over, leaving him about to trip. I then snatched his black ponytail to use as leverage as I throw him across the room and onto the wooden dining table, causing it to break. Jett and Allen stare at me as I cracked my knuckles and shoulders with a sneer on my face.

"Listen. I'm not some kind of rag toy you found off of the streets. I may not be a soldier of god like you guys, but within the eight years of living with Master Deo and surviving off of the streets, I've learned some tricks up my sleeve. You can do whatever you want to me. However, if you ever so lay a finger on Jett, I won't hold back."

Allen then moves his body into a fighting stance. His silver eyes lock onto mine. "I don't want to fight you Kuro, but if you attack us one more time, then I have no choice." Suddenly, a gray mechanical gear appears around his left eye. The eye then turned into a black and red target. The building starts to vibrate as cement chunks from the ceiling begin to fall.

"JETT!" I run to Jett and cradle him in attempt to protect him from the falling debris. I feel a soft rope wrapping around the two of us and pulling us backwards. A white, silk blanket completely covers our head as everything around us goes white.

"Are you two ok?" I look behind me to see Allen wearing a white cape with a fluffy hoodie behind him. The cape somehow covered us like a shield, protecting us from all of the falling cement bricks and wood. His left hand also transformed into a black claw with long white fingernails. Amazing.

"Is that...your innocence Allen?" I asked.

He gave me a faint smile. "Yes." I could feel Jett shaking in my arm as my shirt starts to get damp from his tears.

"I'm scared...Kuro," he sobbed. "What's going on?"

"Shhh...Everything will be ok," I comfort as I hold him tighter. "Just try to relax and close your eyes."

"I'm sorry for Kanda's behavior Kuro," I look back at Allen. "He's not really good at explaining things. Exorcists aren't just people that just kill akuma, we are protectors. Protectors of humanity. Just like what you're doing with Jett." I look back down at Jett, who was still shivering. _An exorcist huh?_ He then retracts the blanket, revealing the night sky and something that was clearly from the deepest darkest pits of hell hovering over us. It had a mask as a face and a spider like body. Its left arm was a metal fist while its right arm was a sickle the size of a door. People started to exit their houses around us screaming and crying while others stood in fear. Is this...an akuma? The same thing that attacked eight years ago? My memory of that day is still foggy but to believe a hellish creature like this could even exist in this world.

The akuma then retracts its sickle hand with a smirk. "DIE EXORCISTS!" I see a flash of black hair, only to be greeted by Kanda blocking the attack.

"MOYASHI! Stop sitting around and fight!" He yelled.

"Kuro. Take Jett to a safe place!" Allen yells. He then lets me go with Jett still in my hands and runs off. The last thing I can hear from Allen was him bickering with Kanda as it's clouded with screams and clashes from the surrounding area. I struggle to stand up and start to escape towards the opposite direction with Jett in my arms.

"LIKE HELL I WOULD LET MY PREY GET AWAY!" The akuma screamed. I then feel my waist being crushed by a strong grip. Jett falls and out of my hands as I start to be pulled back towards the akuma and into the air until we are face to face. I can feel all of the air inside of my lungs escaping. "EHEHEHEHEH! DIE!" It begins to draw its sickle back. It's over. I'm going to die tonight aren't I? I slowly close my eyes to prepare for what's next.

"Put her down!" That voice...is that...Jett? I open my eyes back up and turn my head to see him on the ground, hitting one of the akuma's legs with a plank of wood. "I said for you to put her down!"

"Jett...what are you doing?" I gasp, using every last breath of air in my lungs. "Leave...please…" I look around. People are still staring at us. Allen is struggling with Kanda on their own. For once, I can't help him. The akuma turns his head down to look at Jett as he tries to smash one of its legs.

"OHHH? WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? YOU'RE QUITE A TROUBLESOME PIPSQUEAK AREN'T YA?" The spider akuma open its mouth to reveal a black cannon. No...Please...stop. I'm begging you…

"DIE!"

STOP!

* * *

 **Eight years ago**

"There she is! Get her!" I flee from the angry mob with knives and swords as I jump, slide under, and crawl through the destroyed parts of Tesus. Making a sharp turn, I hid under a heaping pile of cracked planks.

"Phew! That was too close!" I yawn as I stand back up to stretch. I pulled my hood down and walked along the broken wooden planks as if they were balance beams. This is the only part of town where I could show my deep, short red hair without being chased. Well, it _was._ I know nothing about this place, other that the people here seem hostile against me.

I hear a soft wail for, the distance. _What could that be?_ I put my hood back up and run in the direction that it was coming from, only to find a small baby wrapped in cloth behind a shirt brick wall.

"Why are you crying?" I asked. The baby just kept crying.

"Are you crying because you're tired?" The baby kept crying.

"Are you hungry?" The baby kept wailing.

"Are you thirsty?" The baby started to cry even louder. I was determined to figure out what was wrong.

"Are you bored?"

"Are you scared?"

"What about angry?"

"Are you lonely?" The baby then stopped crying and began to calm down. I sat down with my legs crossed and stroked the baby's cheeks. "That makes two of us. Everyone here has been really mean to me lately. They keep calling me a witch and I don't know why." I moved my legs into me and hugged my knees. "I think it's because they believe that I destroyed the town. I don't understand how someone could think a little girl could do something like that. Maybe it's because I look weird and I don't remember where I came from. And the only thing I remember about myself is my name."

The baby gives me a blank stare. "Oh! I have an idea! We can be lonely together." I picked the small infant up and looked at it and smiled. "My name's Kuro! What's yours?" No response. "Oh yea. You can't talk yet. Why don't I give you a name...hmmm….is Jett ok?" The baby started to cry again.

"What? You don't like the name Jett? Well whatever! I thought it was a cool name! Well you're stuck with it! Hmph!" Jett started to scream and wheeze. I made him even more upset didn't I? "Ok I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Please don't cry! Please don't cry! Look at this funny face! Isn't it weird?" I kept this going until the baby fell back to sleep. On that night, I took my new friend under a bridge to keep him safe.

 **One and a half years later**

I stumble back down to the bridge I now call home covered in sweat and bruises Jett is still lying under the protective shade of the bridge. I throw down a couple of coins, a pocket watch, and a small bundle of grapes and collapse to the ground huffing and puffing.

"Hey Jett."

No response.

"The people here might be mean, at least they have good stuff!" I grabbed everything and hurdled it all in one space. "I snagged some grapes off of the counter at some lady's shop and I pickpocketed a random man walking down the street. They both chased me really far but I lost them! Isn't that cool?"

No response once more. I move into Jett's spot and try to make a fake voice for him. "Ha ha yea! Thanks for the food and money! Now we can buy some stuff like a house to live in! You're so cool! Hahahahahahaha….." tears began to fall onto my shirt.

"Yea...Thanks Jett."

"Wahhhhhhhhh!" He starts to cry again. I move frantically trying to find out what's wrong.

"No no no don't cry! Don't cry! Everything's going to be alright! Are you hungry!Um….hold on!" I grabbed the bundle of grapes and plucked each grape odd one by one. I put a handful of them in my palm and start to peel and smash them into a gooey paste. "Here!" I put my palm upto Jett's small mouth, allowing him to lick up the grape mush I made for him. Everything will be ok...I hope...

 **Months after**

I stumble back down into the bridge once again like every day. Except this time I'm covered with bruises and gashes all over my body. I collapse onto the cold, gray grass next to Jett, who is now sitting up right, sucking on the watch I stole like it was a pacifier. "Hi Jett." He turns around, crawls towards me and starts to push on a wound located on my cheek, causing it to sting.

"I bet you're wondering how I got these cuts huh?"

"Ewwwaaah." He mumbles.

"I walked into a back alley to look for something I could get my hands on so that I can keep you warm for the winter. But someone recognized me and tried to kill me with a pocket knife...again. You know...maybe everyone here is right. Maybe I don't deserve to live. Why else would god put me through hell every day?" He then climbs over me and starts to slap my face as both of our stomach grumble.

"I know, I know! I know that you're hungry! I'm sorry! I'll try harder tomorrow." He moves on top of my back and buries his face into my shirt. I can feel his breathing getting heavier as he starts to snore. Well, I'm stuck being a human mattress once again. But maybe this is a good thing. Maybe we can share each other's warmth. Just…..like this…

 **Weeks later**

 _I can't move…he has everything...including jacket… my entire body feels numb...and it's hard to breath._ I see Jett unravel himself from all blankets as I start to let my mind fade away everything is blurry.

"I'm sorry Jett," tears rolled down my cheek and stings.

"Dwon cwry," he mumbled… he's finally speaking…I'm so happy. I was able to live long enough to hear him say something. I'm...ok with this… I can't keep my eyes awake any longer…

"Goodbye...my only friend."

* * *

The smoke slowly clears. Jett is laying on the ground covered in black pentacles. He slowly starts to disintegrate. He's gone. I can't see him. Just a pile of ash. He's gone. Because I couldn't get out and help him. It's all my fault...no. It's that bastard akuma's fault! If he didn't come here he wouldn't have killed Jett! He wouldn't have destroyed my house! It's all of his fault!

"You bastard!" I cursed. I can feel my right arm heating up from my chest and through the path of my tattoo, all the way to the palm of my hand. The sleeve of my right arm bursts into flames, forcing the akuma to drop me onto the ground.

"OW! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"DIE YOU BASTARD!" A massive flame appears above on my hand somehow. I can feel everyone's eyes on me and ran towards it with all of my strength and smashed it, causing the monster to burst into flames screaming. I smashed it again.

"DIE!"

And again.

"DIE!"

And again.

"STOP IT YOU DAMN EXORCIST!"

And again.

"DIE!"

Again.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!" I feel a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Kanda, bent on one knee with Allen in the background. He stares at me with his usual cold eyes. Except this time, they were different. I could feel sympathy, anger, and...Empathy? Why is he doing this? Isn't he supposed to be the stoic asshole partner Allen had to put up with? Why is he comforting me? I couldn't help but to slump my shoulders and sob. He's gone. I lost someone that filled the void in my life for all of these years. I look down at the mess I created. The akuma had disintegrated and was replaced by a small crater from my manic meltdown. Everything was done.

I suddenly feel someone punching me into the ground along with a sharp pain in my right shoulder. The next thing I knew was that I was pinned down with a kitchen knife in my right shoulder as I scream in agony. I look up to see a familiar round lady wearing an apron with Allen struggling to hold her back.

"Mrs. Leda?"

"It was you! You were the one that summoned those monsters! You were the witch that destroyed the town! I shouldn't have trusted my husband! I should've thrown your blue body back out into the snow! I bet you're the reason why I can't find my husband!"

"Wait! Master Deo is gone?!"

"Yes! I've been looking all over for him since this afternoon! I bet you killed him as well! You bitch!" She pulls the knife back up and aims the blade at my skull preparing to strike. Allen grabs her hand and restrains her while Kanda pulls me up by my arms to see a mob of resentful people. Some faces familiar, some faces foreign.

"I knew that we shouldn't have trusted you!"

"What else have you done to this place?"

"Get out of this town you witch!"

"You're the one that took my mommy away!"

"How DARE you show your face after all of these years!"

"Go back to hell where you belong!"

People begin to throw rocks at me. Each hit stings more than the last. I didn't do it...I didn't do it...I struggle to stand up and start running away in shame until I couldn't see anyone.

* * *

The sun peaks above the trees that surround the outskirts of Tesus. Eight hours have passed since the akuma incident. I've just been sitting in the heart of the evergreen forest crying and enjoying the silence. Enjoying the solitude. Enjoying the numbness from every event that happened to me within the eight years of being here. A chilly breeze brushes off the deep stab wound on of my naked right arm, still showing the now hollow tattoo. Why am I so cold now? I'm almost never cold. Is it because my innocence deactivated and now my whole body is different? I use my left hand and trace the pattern all the way down to my palms. _An exorcist huh?_

"So you've been here this whole time." I recognize that voice. I turn around to see the black and white haired duo. Kanda has his arms crossed around his chest while Allen was holding something black. The white haired boy then walked up to me and handed what appears to be my favorite black trench coat.

"We found this in the rubble back at your house." Allen said. "This was the only thing we were able to snag until we were chased out as well." He then hands me the folded coat. The temporary seal that I made for Jett had already snagged off, making it go back to its natural length. I struggle to slip on the sleeves as the friction from the coat burns the wound on my shoulder. I have no one now. Jett is gone. Master Deo is gone. No one wants me around anymore. All I have left is myself. I start to sob once more and rub my puffy eyes.

"The akuma probably came looking for you eight years ago." Allen States. "Everyone around you at that time probably got in the crossfire. But now that you can use this power, you can protect people from getting hurt."

"This is what can happen every mission that we go on," Kanda said. "Not every battle will end up with everyone being ok in the end. Stop being in denial. You are an exorcist. Are you ready to go now? Or do I have to knock you out and drag you back?"

I slowly get up and tug on my trench coat, buttoning just the top half to block out any cold air. I have nowhere else to go. And nothing to look forward to. I slowly nod my head.

"...sure."


	4. The New Home Arc Part One: Komui

**Author's note: Hello I want to thank everyone that enjoyed the past three instalments of this story. When I read the reviews, I couldn't stop smiling and it gave me more confidence in my writing. It also pushes me to improve the quality of each chapter, rather than posting it and hoping for the best outcome.**

 **To add on,**

 **Did you know that this chapter was once ten** _ **thousand words long? Yep. And I scratched it. Multiple times actually. This part was a pain to write because I was never satisfied with the completed product. So I am sorry for the unusually long wait.**_

 _ **Also,**_

 _ **The next few chapters are basically already written. They're just chunks from the multiple scraps of this product. My plan was to make one massive chapter with a lot of events but it just looked like it was rushed. So I just need to heavily edit the written chunks and post them. The next two chapters shouldn't take as much time to come out compared to this one.**_

 _ **I almost forgot,**_

 **I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

I absorb the passing scenery on the train as Kanda and I sit silently on the way to what I would consider my new "home". Oak trees, crystal clear ponds and valleys pass with only a moment's notice to admire them. My eyes are still puffy and bloodshot from crying on and off for the past few hours. Gray bags sit under my eyelids as I put my elbow on the window and use my hand to hold my aching head up. I could still feel the stab wound on my shoulder sting each time it rubs against my coat. It makes me question if all of this is a nightmare. It might as well be.

The train compartment that we're sitting in speaks its price. Gold embroidery stripes cover the red painted walls. The two opposing seats in the compartment supposedly turn into twin sized beds. Kanda sits across from me while Allen is talking to someone through Timcanpy outside the small room. His eyes are closed and legs crossed as usual. The door then opens with Allen walking in.

"It's about 3 o' clock. We should be there in about two and a half hours." Allen then sits down on my side of the both. I scoot closer to the window, hoping that he understands that I just want to be alone.

"Kuro?"

"..."

"You should sleep until we get there. You haven't gotten any rest since last night. I can pull the bed out if you want me to."

"..."

"Um...I'm sorry for what happened last night."

"..."

"Che. Stop giving us the silent treatment. You're being a little brat." How could he say that?! Does he not know when to shut his mouth? His personality's so rotten that he couldn't comprehend what I'm going though?! I give him a disgusted look and then went back to looking at the scenery. I'm not going to waste my time on someone like him.

"Kanda! How could you say that! After what she's been through!" Allen yelled.

"Hmph. Like hell I care. It's only going to get worse from here. Don't act like I didn't warn you when it happens again, Woman." Is he telling the truth? Will it really be just pain and suffering? I start to sob once again. I keep holding my breath to hide my despair. I always had to suck it up whenever Jett was around because whenever I started to cry, he would cry as well. But he's gone. All because I couldn't protect him. I couldn't save the one person that liked me.

"..."

"..."

"Che."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" I snapped, shot up from my seat about to attack Kanda. Allen locks his arms around mine and struggles to restrain me." LET ME GO ALLEN! THIS IS NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!"

"Calm down Kuro! I'm sorry about Kanda! Just sit back until we get to headquarters!"

"You want to fight bitch?" He then gets up and unsheathed his sword. "I'm ready to go even in this box!"

"I HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU SICKENING ATTITUDE! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU RIGht now you bastar…" My body begins to feel numb. I have no energy in my body. I struggle to keep my eyes open as I go limp.

"Kuro...are you ok?" Allen asked.

"...I'm...just a little tired…" I mumbled

"Stay still ok?"

"...Ok…"

I can feel myself leaning on Allen's shoulder as he shuffles around. My back is then lowered onto a soft surface and a warm cloth covers me as I fall off into oblivion.

* * *

I struggle to open my eyes to see a white ceiling. The stench of medicine travels up my nose. Where am I? Looking around, I spot multiple white cabinets, IV bags and white tiled flooring. Underneath my body was not the red couch from the train but a mobile white mattress. Why am I laying on a hospital bed? Instead of wearing my trench coat, I was changed into a hospital gown with buttons that went down the front all the way to my knees. At least my black pants were still intact. I placed my hand on my chest to feel new breast bindings. The stab wound which was on my right arm was wrapped multiple times with itchy bandages. Mumbling could be heard outside of the room. Then, a tall, lanky Chinese man walks in along with an older woman who was wearing a nurse outfit and carrying a white bag. His slick, black hair went down to his neck and curled up. A white uniform, similar to Allen's and Kanda's, slimmed down his figure. Tinted glasses masked his eyes. Once we made eye contact, a friendly, goofy smile spreads across his face, or so it appears to be friendly.

"Good afternoon," He greeted. "You look a lot better compared to before."

I give him a confused look. "My name is Komui Lee. I am the head of the Science Division here at the Black Order European branch here in London." So this is the man that forced me to come here. Well, his appearance doesn't match his orders. I expected a devilish tyrant that ruled with an iron fist. How disappointing and misleading. The Chief then grabs one of the swivel chairs that was near a desk and sits on it backwards with the backseat on his chest. "Allen and Kanda brought you here unconscious so you were placed in the medical wing." Oh yea...I was about to fight Kanda and then I suddenly collapsed. Recollection flashes in my mind. I clenched the white bedsheets and bit my bottom lip.

Komui's expression flips as he grits his teeth. "I'm sorry for your loss. I understand how it feels to lose a younger sibling." He then proceeds to rub my thin red hair in attempts to comfort me. I want to cry but I can't. My body is shaking but I can't bring myself to break down. It's as if I used up all of my tears for the day and my body just gave up on expressing emotions. "We will try to make you feel as comfortable as possible here in the Black Order."

"Chief Komui," the nurse said. "It's time for me to change Ms. Kuro's bandages. Please excuse yourself. It will only take a minute."

"Ok. I'll be back in a few minutes to test your innocence." I watched the tall man exit the door, leaving just the nurse and me alone.

"I'm the head nurse." She smiles and offers to shake my hand. She looks like she's lived through and seen a lot with the wrinkles next to her mouth and eyes to prove it. Her hands looked rough but firm and strong. I reluctantly shook her hand. I can't trust anyone here right now, nor do I want to. "Now please move your arms so I can take off your gown."

I begin to unbutton my hospital gown by myself only for my wrists to be grabbed by the older woman.

"No. I'll do it. I don't want you to bleed through your bandages." She then started unbuttoning each button where I left off. "I don't need your help. I can do that by myself" is what I wanted to say. But instead I kept my thought inside as she slips off my gown, exposing the chest bindings and tattoos. Then, she carefully and slowly unravels the bandages on my shoulder. Once all of it was removed, her eyes widened in shock.

"It disappeared!" She yelled. I looked at my right shoulder, which appeared unharmed. I knew that I healed slightly faster than most people my age, but never within a day have I recovered from a stab wound. How in the world did this happen? The old woman used her index finger and poked at the spot the wound once was. Her cold touch was making me shiver. "Does this hurt?"

"No." I relied. Short and simple.

"Well, we can talk to Komui about that later. But for now," she then grabs a pair of metal scissors and aims for my chest, causing me to snap out of my stubbornness and jump up from the bed in defense.

"What the hell are you doing with those?"

The nurse gives me puzzled look. "Isn't it obvious? I'm about to remove your chest bindings."

"Why though?"

"So that Chief Komui can take a look at your tattoo. He believes that the markings are innocence related."

"There's no way in hell I'm letting some strange man that I met today look at me naked!"

She crossed her arms around her chest and scrunched up your eyebrows. "You won't be naked! You will be using the bedsheets to cover yourself up! I'm also here to provide bystander evidence that he won't do anything weird!" She then put down the scissors and tried to manually take off my binding. But there's no way I'm going down without a fight. I start to worm out of her hands and push her away. I don't want to hurt the old woman, but she needs to understand that I have no plans on showing anyone my chest!

"Stop trying to touch me damn it!"

"I'm not going to hurt you! And Komui won't either! We promise!"

"How can I trust you? Why would I trust someone that pointed scissors at me out of the blue?!"

"Because I'm the head of the medical department here!" She starts to push me down harder, but I refuse to back down. "Isn't that enough for you?"

"No!"

"Stop being such a troublesome child and h….."

" _If you weren't such a troublesome child then maybe I would have thrown you some scraps for dinner! But I would rather hear your stomach growl than hearing you breathe the same air around me_!"

I instantly stopped resisting and sat on the bed with my back straight. My legs stuck together off from the bed. The nurse smiled at me and picked up the scissors once more

"Good girl." She then snipped off one by one each wrapping, fully exposing my chest.

 _Just like my mother once told me_

The old nurse handed me a clean white sheet from one of the cabinets to cover up with. I wrapped my chest up as much as possible only. The nurse walked to the door, mumbled something and lets Komui back in. My cheeks flush as I try to pull the sheet up to censor more of my chest.

"Oh don't be shy! This will only take a few minutes. I don't want to make you feel super uncomfortable." _Too late you already have._ He then grabs a medical tool off of the table and uses its dull edge to touch the palm of my right hand. He then traces the path up to my still covered chest. "Can you lower the sheet a little bit more?" I followed his directions, showing all of tattoo with my cheeks about to burst into flames.

Flabbergasted, He paused and stared at my chest as the nurse gave me an apologetic smile for my embarrassment.

"Well that makes the disappearing wound on your shoulder understandable. I'll talk to Bak about this as well. He probably knows more about this than I do."

"What do you mean by that? I questioned.

"Don't worry about it. We're almost done. You can put on one of our shirts now." I give off a sigh of relief. The nurse then hands me a sleeveless black elastic top and new bandages for my chest. Komui then turns around until I was finished changing. He then turns back around with a goofy smile.

"Do you know how to activate it?" He asked. "I'm referring to your innocence." How _did_ I even activate it yesterday?

"No."

"I was told that fire formed on your hand and rolled up your arms, allowing you to kill the akuma that was coming after you."

"I did. But it just acted on its own. I didn't do anything. Everything just...happened."

He pulls a pen out of his pocket and taps the bottom on his cheek. "Well, what happened when it activated on it's on?"

"He…he…my brother...Jett..." My lips began to quiver as I struggled to pull out the words that were stuck in my throat. "He…he…" No. For the past eight years, I've trained myself to easily put an emotional mask on to hide my feelings. I don't want to been seen as weak. I don't want anyone to take advantage of me! I don't want my tears to hurt anyone around me! I don't want-

" _Please don't cry Kuro. I don't like seeing you sad. Did I do something wrong to make you sad? I'm so sorry. *sniff* I really REALLY didn't mean to make you cry *sniff*."_

I gulped down all of the fear and guilt in my throat, letting it sink to the bottom of my chest, allowing my mind to go blank. "It was when my brother died. The tattoo marks turned solid black. I could feel "something" move from the tattoo on my chest all the way to the palm of my hand."

"Can you try focusing all of your energy from the tattoo and then move it to your hand?"

"...I'll try." Komui then gives me a lighthearted smile. I looked at my palm and concentrated all of my energy towards its center. A static sensation bloomed on my chest and traveled all the way down to my palm as a small handheld fire was created. Komui claps in amazement.

"Wow! Allen was right! I've never seen an innocence like this before!"

"...Yea."

"I bet this is a new type!"

"…Interesting."

"Would you like to know what types of innocence there are?" He asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Not really."

"...You're quite the silent type."

"I guess." _I'm not the silent type. I just don't want to talk to you_. I jolt my hand back when he attempts to touch the flame like a clueless child. Without my absolute concentration, the fire vanished, leaving my hand glowing red and tingling.

"Don't," I warned. "Unless you want to get burned."

"So I'm assuming it's like a wildfire. And it can hurt humans too? That's astonishing. Can you make it go up your arm?"

"Chief Komui," the nurse interrupted. I turned my head to see her eyes dimed and her jaw clenched. I looked back to Komui to see him jittering as if he's seen the devil himself. "This was supposed to be an examination only. I don't want my new medical ward to be destroyed like your last experiment."

"O-o-o-of course! We don't want that! I just have one more thing to ask of you. Can you create fire out of your left hand?"

I pulled out my left hand. I can sense once more the static sensation move from my chest, to my shoulder, to my arm, all the way to the palm of my left hand but at a slower pace. It's alost unnatural with this hand. A few minutes pass with me just struggling to activate my arm, but nothing happens. Komui gives off a weak laugh and gets up from the chair.

"Well, we can always try next tim-" My innocence instantaneously activates. Except this time, a tiny flame the size of a matchstick appears. I clicked my tongue.

"That's pathetic." I snort as the flames disappear.

"Well this is you first time activating your innocence on your left hand isn't it?

"Yea."

"Well I consider this to be a big success!" He claps and rubs his hands together smiling. "I'm basically done here. We just want to take a few blood samples ok?" A devious grin spreads across his face. "Damn. I wished that I could examine you a little bit more. Most exorcists get to see my favorite drill." Favorite drill? What does he mean by that? Whatever it is, I shouldn't dip my nose into what this cunning man can do.

"Meet me back at my office after dinner for one more examination." He then walks out the door, only to poke his head right back inside of the room. "Oh! And one more thing." His goofy smile made an appearance once more. "My dear, sweet baby sister Leenalee should be back from her mission tonight! I know that you'll be her best friend since you're around the same age! She can hang out with you instead of being with those nasty smelly gross boys-"

"Chief Komui it's time for you to leave! "The nurse started pushing his head out of the room as if he was a massive boulder. "You're just here so you can procrastinate from your work aren't you?"

"But why would you say that nurse?" He whined. "I'm just trying to get Kuro to make some friends around here! And I'm confident that my darling little sister would be the best canid-" the door slammed shut, leaving the two of us alone. The nurse smiled broadly at me while locking holding the door back. She's strong, he's eccentric. Without their attire, I could've sworn that their roles here would be reversed.

"Shall we get started Ms. Kuro?"

"Ok." I sat in a white chair near the wall silently, waiting for her instructions. Moments later, I can feel her icy finger putting pressure on of my veins as she swaps full syringe capsules for empty ones. Silence ensues.

"You know," the nurse tries to strike up a conversation while still concentrated on my arm. "Chief Komui was really nice to you today. Not that he's a mean person. But he seemed gentler with you." Although not knowing the man personally, he _did_ acted as if I was a touch away from shattering into tears. Actually, for the time that I was in this strange building, I don't remember crying once. As if everything around me is moving at mach two and I'm still locked in one place. Do I look _that_ unapproachable _?_ Dense, null, vacant inside? Or is he giving me pity as if I can't do anything for myself now? He did say that he understood how it felt to lose a sibling. No…It's not pity. It's empathy. He understands. But at the same time, I don't want to make friends here. Even though I want to think he means well, that doesn't mean that he's a good person. For all I know, he just wanted me to drop my guard around him.

"You can talk while I'm doing this." She commented. "I'm always up for a conversation, especially with some of younger ones here." I know. A front. I'll put up a front for now. An emotionless, empty mask that will make my life easier here. That way, both sides will benefit and no one will get hurt.

"I thought," I started. The nurse looks up at me beaming as if she was my mother and I was saying my first words. "Komui would be a ruthless dictator. Before I came here, that is."

She covers her mouth and chuckles. "Oh no dear! I don't think Komui could even try to act like that!" She then places a layer of mesh cloth on top of the small opening the needle left and strapped on medical tape to secure it. "If you want to see someone like that you need to go to central!"

"Central?" Wait there's more than one of these places?!

"Yes sadly." She gets up and shuffled into her bag and pulls out a familiar black coat. "You came here while wearing this. It was tattered and had blood on it so we washed it and sew it back up." MY TRENCH COAT! I jumped up and wobbled towards the nurse and held her hands. I can feel my eyes trying to create tears of joy.

But nothing came out.

"Thank you. So, SO much." I beamed. "You don't understand how much this coat means to me."

"Don't thank me, I'm just the one that brought it here." She smiled back. "Dinner has already started. You should go to the dining hall and eat something to get your strength back up." I slip on the coat, warming my arms. I can feel the small bump in the back of the cape I made for Jett. This coat is filled with the only memories I have of him. I don't want them to leave. I make my way out the door. "Oh, Ms. Kuro?"

"Yea?"

"You have a beautiful smile." My cheeks start to tingle as I cover my face with my hands. So much for that emotionless, empty mask plan. The old nurse starts to giggle in my embarrassment as I escaped into the hallway and make a sharp turn in search for the dining hall.

.

.

.

.

Wait. Where was the dining hall again? Damn it! I slapped my palm onto my nose as my stomach starts to growl heavily. The hallways only echoed the noises of my 's as if this place is a ghost town _._ No,I shouldn't worry too much. I bet this place isn't that complicated. I'll find it at some point. I begin my journey to the dining hall by making a confident right turn into an identical hallway.


	5. The New Home Arc Part Two: Lavi and Bak

**Author's note: Hello. I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **One Hour Later**

I turned left for the 100th time. Same hallway. I make a sharp right turn into another identical hallway. No signs, no evidence of life, nothing. Each turn I take I step up the pace as I become more desperate

Even though I'm lost in this labyrinth, at least the scenery isn't eye burningly white like the medical room. The teal walls gave off the scent of a new coating of paint, giving the building the "new home" smell. Giant silver chandeliers dangle high above the firm baby blue carpet. Outside you could enjoy the rest of the massive building and its Victorian style architecture through crystal clear glass. The sun taps the peak of the pine tree forest as the day ends. At this point I probably missed dinner. My stomach begins to howl as if it's about to digest itself if I don't get food. I just need to keep moving and find someone! Anyone! Even that idiotic ponytailed swordsman!

I start to hear tapping. No...They're footsteps! Finally! Someone I can ask directions for this stupid place. I start to sprint down the end of the hallway as the steps get closer and closer. I make a sharp right turn only to collide head first into the source of the footsteps. Both of us fall down onto the grown as I can hear whatever that person was carrying tumbles down along with them.

"Ow…" He wines. I rub my head and open my eyes to see a red headed teenager that looks about the same age as me, wearing an eyepatch over one of his eyes along with a black and red headband to tame his messy marmalade colored hair. The teen wore a casual black long sleeved shirt with green poking out at some parts. Books of variously ages were scattered across the floor. I got up and started to collect some of the books and stacked them into my hand.

"Sorry about that." I said. I reached out a hand to help him get up as our eyes meet. He scans every inch of my body with his one visible eye from my, head to my chest, hips and legs to my feet. Hs stares straight into my topaz eyes, giving me signals to run away from this creep. "Um...are you ok? I was looking for the canteen and I'm kind of lo-"

"STRIIIIKE!" Wait...what? The strange redhead jumps up and shakes my hand vigorously with a heart stricken grin. "Hey! The name's Lavi! You're the new exorcist Komui's been talking about aren't you? You're totally my type! A real cutie! So what where you looking for again?"

"..."

I quickly stack up all of the surrounding books, plop them into his arms and started walking swiftly in the opposite directions.

"Sorry for bothering you. I'll find the canteen myself."

"No wait!" He then started chasing me down the hall in order to meet up with me. "Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away" he scratched his scalp. "Let me start again. My name's Lavi. Nice to meet cha." He holds his hand out in an attempt to start anew. I stare directly into is emerald eye. It's like he's calculating my every move. Every time I blink, breath and every second I wait to take his hand to shake adds up to something. But what? I turned around in rejection and started running towards the hallway I once came from.

"No please don't go!" He catches up to me once again. Damn it… stop following me! Can't you tell that I don't want to be around you?! "Didn't you say that you wanted to go to the canteen?"

"Yes but I'm 100% positive that I can find it myself!" I try to pick up the pace until he grabbed my wrist. "Let go of me you pervert!"

"Come on! I said that I was sorry!"

"I forgive you! Now let me go!"

"You know...the canteen will be closing very soon." I paused for a moment as my stomach does the talking. My face flushed as I try to hide my now red cheeks with one hand. I glanced at the redhead, who now has a big goofy grin on his face. "It sounds like your stomach trusts me. Will you do the same?" I have no other choice if I want to eat tonight do I?"

"Fine." I groaned. His smirks as we make our way towards the cafeteria with him leading the way as his hands fall behind his head.

"So what's your name?" He asks in attempt to strike up a conversation.

"Kuro." I sigh.

"How long have you been here for?"

"Not even for a full day."

"Huh. Didn't you get a tour of this place?"

"No one said that I was supposed to get a tour of this place."

"Usually anyone who joins the Order gets a tour once they walk in. How did you arrive?"

"That's none of your concern…" _what was his name again?"..._ Levi."

"It's Lavi."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Whatever."

"You know, you remind me of a cute girl version of Yu."

I looked at him puzzled. "Of who?"

Lavi scratches his messy hair. "Well he's a little taller than me, Japanese, always carries a sword and his hair in a ponytail, the pretty-boy type, al-"

"Wait do you mean Kanda?!"

"Yup. Yu is his first name. Although I suggest that you just call him Kanda unless you're trying to pick a fight."

"I'm nowhere close to that bastard!" I barked back.

"Yes you are!" He laughed. "You come off as cold, you easily get aggressive just like right now and you crave solitude! You two are the perfect match Cutie!"

"Oh just shut up. I'm not in the mood… and stop calling me cute!"

"But why?" He asks like a child. Innocent, naive. I can't tell if that's his genuine personality or if he truly desires something.

"Would you want a fake compliment?" I sigh

"I'm just telling you the truth!"

"Truth or not just stop. It's annoying!" I snarled.

"Which is why I'll keep calling you that! Anyways we're here!" We walked into a massive room filled with long tables and the aroma of a humongous arrangement of food. Most of the people there wore long tan jackets with hoods attached. There was a short line near a window where food was being served out by the second. Other than that, the cafeteria was quite lively.

"Um...Lavi?"

"Yea?"

"I thought you said that dinner was ending soon."

"I did. And I lied." He smirked. I looked at him with disgust, anger and disbelief. "Only because I knew that if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to get you to walk with me. And it worked." Manipulative, perverted, and cunning. Three good reasons why I need to stay as far away as possible from this man. Lavi started to push me towards the line until I got up to the window. A tall, Indian man with two pink braided ponytails and sunglasses pokes his head out of the windowand stared at me.

"Well you're a new face! What's cha name honey?" He said cheerfully.

"It's Kuro."

"Well Kuro what would you like? I'll cook up anything for you! What's cha favorite food?" Anything? Does he really mean _anything_? I scratched my head and ponder. What even WAS my favorite food? I can't recall. I always cooked things that Jett would eat. Did I have a favorite food before I lost my memory? Whatever. I'll just get something I would've bought back home from a diner.

"Can I have some grilled mackerel please?"

"And…? Come on honey don't be shy! It can't be just that."

"...and some prasorizo. (Greek rice with leeks)."

"And?"

"Some cooked potatoes with some cold black tea. That's it."

"Ok honey! I'll be ready in a sec." The moment he went back into the kitchen he brought out my food steaming. The charred mackerel's scales split down the middle and slightly curled up, allowing the smoked fish's aroma to free itself. Fresh baby leeks poked out of the pile of prasorizo. The potatoes were charred on onside, leaving the rest with a creamy consistency. With the black tea added on my tray, I was holding edible art.

"Never thought you would be into Greek cuisine." Lavi commented. "Aren't you from somewhere in Asia?"

"I was born in East Asia and moved to Greece at some-wait a minute. Why am I still talking to you?"

"Because deep inside you crave human interaction with me. Beside I also want to get to know you better so we can become friends." That gives me another reason to avoid you. I don't want friends. I don't need friends. Not here. Not now. Not ever again. "Let's go ahead and find Allen!" The redhead then snatched my one free hand once again and drags me towards a mountain of food, almost making me drop my tea.

"Hey! I'm not some doll you can drag around!" I snared, only to be ignored. Lavi's grip loosens once we get to a tan table with a heap of various dishes. Chicken, steaks, rice, pudding, every dish you can think of and the amount to feed a village. Lavi raises his hand flat and greets the mountain.

"Yo Moyashi!"

"My name is Allen!" The familiar voice pokes his white head full of hair around the colossal pile of food and smiles. "Oh Hey Kuro! Take a seat!"

"Wait, you know Kuro already? Since when?!"

"Kanda and I were the ones that brought her here on our last mission" Allen rapidly spoons rice into his mouth.

"Ugh! I thought I was the first one to get to know her!" He throws up his arms and puts them behind his head as he puffs out his cheeks.

"And I'm thankful for that." Allen takes a bite off of his chicken. "I'm suppressed that Kuro lasted this long with your terrible flirtatious habits and jokes." I struggle to hold in a chuckle at his statement, causing Lavi to gawk at me.

"You smiled."

"What about it?" I said, sitting down and taking a bite out of my delectable fish.

"That's the first time I've ever seen you smile."

"And?"

"It was cute." My face starts to burn once more. "You should smile more." He starts to giggle as I cover my cheeks with my hands.

"Just ignore him Kuro," Allen suggested as he took a bite off of his dango. I could see his golem, Timcanpy secretly snagging a bite of his food once in a while. "He teases everyone. You'll get used to it. By the way, how was the tour?"

I sipped my black tea. "I didn't go on the tour. No one offered to do so. But Komui did say that I was supposed to meet him at his office at 7 o'clock. Hold on...what time is it?! I frantically glance around the cafeteria in search of a clock. Lavi then pulls out a pocket watch and glances down.

"Don't worry Ku! It's only 6 o' clock! You have time to eat!" Lavi said.

"Thank you-wait a minute...Ku?"

"Yup! That's your new nickname. Ku."

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? It's short, simple, and to the point. Just like you."

"It sounds gross, like a disease."

"Then do you want me to go back to calling you Cutie?" He grins.

"Just go back to calling me Kuro damn it!" I slam my hands on the table as he starts to heckle again.

"Like I said before! You're just like Yu!"

This kept going as I ate and listen to the two of them joke, laughed and insult each other. Allen kept inhaling his food while I sat quietly and ate the delicious food that was given to me for free. But once in a while, Lavi's emerald glossy eye would meet mine and gives me a slight sly smile. I don't know what he's planning nor do I want to find out. But I'm not interested in his little game.

"Well, it's time for me to go." I got up and stacked my dishes in their respected area.

"I'll take you there. I'm pretty sure you'll get lost if I don't show you back." Lavi suggests.

"Thank you for the offer but I'm pretty sure I can find it on my own."

"Says the person who got lost right around the corner of the cafeteria." Lavi jokes. My face turns bright red as I clench my fist near my waist. "You get embarrassed a lot ya' know. Shy much?" I turn back around to see the redhead grinning and make a fist. He gets up and starts to follow me like a duckling and his mother.

"Go away! I'm sure that I'll find it by myself!"

"You will get lost." He teases

"Like I care!" I spat.

"Lavi, I will show her the way." I turn back around to see Allen almost instantly clear his plates and puts them away. "It looks like she can't handle your charisma today and don't want you to get lost Kuro." _Thank you Allen._ But he's right. There's no way in hell that I'll find my way around this maze.

"Fine." Lavi lowers his head in defeat. "I'll talk to you later Kuro! There are some things that I want to ask you about." Lavi winks. I scowl in return as Allen and I exit the canteen.

The two of us strolled down the same hallways I've been through, or so it appeared. The sun is barley peeking up from the trees as the night consumes it. There's nothing between us. No talking. No eye contact. Just us and the clanking of our boots as they echo throughout the massive halls. I haven't had a proper conversation with Allen since last night. I wouldn't be suppressed to hear that he hates me for the way I've been acting towards his friends. In fact, It would be easier for him to hate me so that we can both live separate lives.

"So...did you get your innocence examined yet?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my train of thought. "Yea."

"Did it hurt?"

"No. It was just a pinch."

"JUST A PINCH?! Wow. I guess you're one of the lucky ones."

"Hm."

"You know, when I first arrived here, Kanda injured my left arm. So when Komui took a look at it, he pulled out a massive drill and operated on me while I was still awake!" It still traumatizes me to this day."

"Hm."

"I suppose you won't have to go through that since your innocence is a trail of tattoos." I stopped moving, causing him to stop and look back as well.

"..."

"…"

"I'm sorry Kuro."

I snapped into my senses and looked into his eyes. His gray, clouded eyes. Clouded with despair, regret, and anger. But he still manages to smile. "When we were back at Tesus, I-"

"If it's about Jett then don't apologize." I cut him off. "I already accepted the fact that it was my fault that he died."

"But I-"

"Just let me take the blame so I can move on with my life damn it!" I yelled. I clapped my hands over my mouth. Why did I yell at the only person that was trying to comfort me? I bowed my head in shame as we stay silent for a few seconds."

"Hey Allen."

"Yea?"

"I don't understand you. Why are you still so nice to me?" I could feel my heart skip beats as my breathing becomes uneven. "Even when I talk mean to you, you still want to talk to me! Even when I said that I was going to kill one of your teammates, you're walking with me by choice! How could you trust someone that would say something like that? I put up barrier after barrier, wall after wall. And it's not just you! It's everyone here! Why?!" Eyes quivering. Gasping for air. But tears don't fall. Just...anger.

Our eyes meet. His expression cannot be described. He walks up to me and lifts his hand. I'm about to get slapped, aren't I? I probably deserve it. I know that I deserve it. I close my eyes and brace myself for impact, only to be greeted by the comfort of a hand rubbing my tomato hair. It's...warm.

"Because I know that you're a good person. I've seen you before you became an exorcist. You're hurting inside. And I refuse to let any of my friends suffer alone." _Friend? Did he just say...friend?_ I start to chuckle. Allen raises his eyebrow in confusion.

"Kuro? Are you ok?"

I clap my hand over my mouth to try to calm myself down. It's only getting worse "Hahaha..haha."

"Kuro?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I collapsed to the ground hysterical, holding my stomach in pain. I. Can't. Stop. He called me his _friend_! I started to choke on my own air and go into a coughing spasm.

"ARE YOU OK?!" Allen yelled. He grabs my shoulder and starts to jerk it around. I signal him a thumbs up. I sit up and place my hand over my chest until my breathing settles enough to speak but still gulping air in.

"Allen...you really are...a selfish idiot." I smiled

His eyebrows burrow in anger. "Why would you say that?! I was just trying to comfort you!"

"Thank you, Allen Walker." I tilt my head and give him a cheek to cheek smile while scruffing his soft white hair. "I needed that laugh. Also don't do this to me I'm pretty sure that I'm older than you."

"Huh? How old are you?"

"Hmm...About 27," I joked. His silver eyes bulge and jaw drops.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you at all. I was just-"

"Pffft hahahahahahahahahaha! You're too gullible!" He puffs out his cheeks in a fit of anger. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm 18. How old are you?"

"16. Everyone here is older than me. It gets a little frustrating."

"How so?"

We both get up from the floor and continue our journey to Komui's office. A journey, with my "' _friend"._ But even through my outburst of manic laughter, tears wouldn't fall. And I could still feel the rock at the bottom of my chest, tossing and turning as I walk with my new " _friend"_.

* * *

Our journey ends when Allen and I stand in front of two large tawny wooden doors.

"Well, I'll see you later Kuro." Allen waves as he begins to walk towards the other direction.

"Thank you Allen." I called as he disappeared into the dank halls. This is Komui's office? I would've expected something that appeared more extravagant for the chief of this place, but whatever. I knocked on the wooden doors a couple of times.

"Come in." I hear a voice on the inside say. I welcome myself in. Papers, folders, envelopes, letters, were scattered, covering almost every inch in the large rectangular room. Other than work papers, only a desk in the back, lamps, a few bookshelves and one rose Victorian sofa centered occupied the space. A black ponytail poked up from the couch. _Who could that be?_ Komui was sitting behind the desk, which also had stacks of papers on it. Next to him was a petite man wearing a Barrett with a uniform similar to Komui's. Although it was obvious that he was Asian, blonde messy hair hid under his hat _._ "You're on time!" He smiled "Perfect. Just take a seat and we'll get started right away."

I attempt to dance my way through the obstacle course of papers, looking for small crevices in between so I won't damage any of his documents. "Sorry for the mess." Komui gave me a nervous laugh. "My assistant Fay is back at central. She helps me stay organized." I can only assume that this man is completely clueless without someone helping him. I made my last few steps to get to the couch to recognize the owner of the black ponytail. But instead of his usual uniform, he wore a sleeveless black tank top with matching sweatpants and boots.

Kanda.

Kanda. The same man with a rotten attitude. The same bastard that stripped me down last night. The same handsome asshole with no empathy for the world around him.

"Why the hell did you have to bring _her_ here?!" He jolted up from the couch and prepared to unsheathe his sword. With his signature scowl tapped on his mouth and eyebrows furrowed, I sighed and made a swift 180 turn.

"Sorry for intruding," I make my way towards the door. "I'm sure that we can have this talk tomorrow."

"Hold on a minute Kuro!" Komui called. "We need you and Kanda here for this! Don't worry it won't be a long chat. And Kanda put Mugen away!" I rolled my eyes and walked back to the couch and sat. Kanda reluctantly puts away his sword as well. Both of us scoot away from each other as far away as possible, creating a thick atmosphere.

"Now," Komui puts his elbows on the table and locks his hands together. "Let's just start off with some introductions." I turn to look at the blonde man standing in a uniformed fashion.

"My name is Bak Chan," He said. "I am the leader of the Asian branch. It's nice to meet you, Kuro." He presents himself similar to Komui, except with a little bit more confidence.

"Nice to meet you too." I respond flatly. "I thought you were going to test my innocence Komui."

"I am. But this is more important." His glasses tint, covering up his eyes. "What we're about to talk about is confidential and will only be known between the four of us. We don't want anyone, especially the higher ups at Central to know that we're having this talk. Understand?"

Kanda and I both glance at each other and nodded our heads. Why does everyone here keep referencing Central?

"Good. Now with that out of the way, I believe that Kuro should be informed on some past events. You probably won't understand some of the things we will say but that's ok for now." What's even going on here? "Bak Chan, if you would please explain."

Bak cleared his throat and began. "About nine years ago, the Black Order Asian branch's attempts to make the perfect exorcist was a success. This was called the Second Exorcist Plan. They wanted to create an exorcist with extraordinary strength and regeneration abilities through almost 100 years of experimentation. One of results is sitting right next to you." I turned my head to see Kanda with his arms and legs crossed. His eyes closed as if he was sleeping. Bak then picks up a blank piece of paper off from Komui's desk and turns it around, revealing an exact copy of the symbol inside of my triangle tattoo. "Recognize this symbol?"

"Yea." I replied. "It's the symbol inside of the triangle tattoo on my chest."

"Correct." Bak eyes Kanda down. The Asian exorcist opened one eye as if he can sense every move we make. "Now Kanda, Please remove your clothes. I'm pretty sure you know where this is going." My mind goes blank. Thoughts became scrapped. Kanda...naked? Kanda clicks his tongue, stands up and grabs the bottom of his top.

"W-w-wait a minute!" I wave my arms as my cheeks heat up. "I don't know where this is going? Why is he stripping?!" No response. He pulls the black top over his head, causing his ponytail to slightly fuzz up. I gazed at his chiseled chest and the line that goes down his navel region. But above all of the beauty lied a similar tattoo placed on the side of his chest with rings sprawled out towards his shoulder.

"His tattoo," I slowly planted my hand over my heart. "It's similar to mine."

"I would rather consider it as a variation of the 'Om' symbol, but your tattoo is the base character. Ok Kanda. You can put your shirt on now. "

"Che." Kanda puts on his shirt and sits down as his head turns away to the side, refusing to look at me. His pale cheeks slightly flush, confusing me if he's furious or embarrassed. To a small degree, I do empathize with him. I'm not too sure what the Second Exorcist Plan was, but to be used as a 'show and tell' object in front of a woman would puncture any man's pride.

Bak continues. "When the Second Exorcist experiments were still in progress, I was not there at the Asian branch. And all of the evidence from those experiments have disappeared a long time ago. But what we do know is that your tattoo and the blood surrounding it contains innocence, and it is the base idea that scientists were trying to replicate within the past century.

The blood samples Komui gave me this afternoon contained partials of deactivated innocence. Those partials latched onto blood cells that carry oxygen around your body. Now what I'm about to say is a massive stretch, but if we can trace your DNA and your ancestry back to th…."

I lose him in his tangent, speechless. Taken aback. Everything he said went through one ear and out the other, but left a dense residue of words and phrases that triggered my curiosity, memories and pain.

 _Deactivated, innocence, tattoo, blood cells, DNA, blood, ancestry, blood, blood, blood..._

* * *

" _Mommy? Why is there red stuff everywhere? Is this...blood? Mommy… wake up…Please! Please mommy! Get up! Why aren't you moving? Stop sleeping! Mommy! They're coming mommy! Wake up! Wake up!"_

* * *

"Oi! Wake up!" My eyes slowly go into focus. Kanda's hand firmly grasps my right shoulder and jerks me around. I glance around. Still in the same messy room. Komui and Bak were kneeling next to me concerned.

"What...just happened?" My words slur as they slowly roll off my tongue.

"We were about to ask you the same thing." Bak commented. "We lost you for about 30 seconds." I scratched my head. I could only hear a little girl's voice screaming out to her mother. Everything behind that cry for help was muffled with the sounds of people weeping, wood snapping, shrilling, and burning. Was that a memory that I've forgotten about? That was before I ended up in Greece? I pulled my head up and tried my best to appear health and well.

"I'm probably just tired."

"That makes sense, "Komui slowly stood up. "It was a long day for you, wasn't it? We'll end the conversation off here." He looked over to Bak, who gives Komui a nod and gets up.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Kuro. Hopefully I'll see you in the future." He said and exits the room leaving us three alone.

"Kanda, you can leave as well. But remember about what we discussed earlier."

"Che." The swordsman got up and left right behind Bak. Various questions pass through my mind. What Komui and Kanda talk about earlier? What was the cry for help that I heard? Who was she? Why is Kanda even involved in this shit storm? Komui looks at me and smiles. A smile that I'm sure hides the answer to most of my questions. And even if that's not the case, he's the man that's in charge of the place where I can find all of my answers.

"Are you ready for your final test of the day Kuro?"


	6. The New Home Arc Part Three: Lenalee

I follow behind Komui down a dim, dank hallway. Each step we take the hallway gets darker with only one speck of visible light showing at the end of the tunnel. Nothing but questions swirled through my brain with uncompleted and vague answers. Everything was left so ambiguous and cluttered that my consciousness refused to comprehend it. What happened in the Second Exorcist Plan? Why do I have a tattoo similar to Kanda? Why is his innocence a sword when I can just make fire? Why do I need to be wary of the people in central? I finally decided to scratch some information off of the one person who probably has most of the answers.

"Chief Komui…"

"Yes?" He responds.

"When I was in Greece, Allen told me about innocence and how it is used to defeat the Millennium Earl."

"That's correct."

"And because I have innocence, I am an accommodator."

"Correct."

"But why does it feel like I'm being treated differently compared to Allen and Kanda?"

"Oh. It's because you're new here. And we want to make you feel as comfortable as po-"

"No it's not about that," I cut him off. "For example, the nurse that took my blood said something terrible about a branch called 'Central'. And just a few minutes ago, you said that it would be horrible if people ranked above you found out about my innocence. Does every exorcist go through this?"

Komui then takes a deep breath in. "The reason why you're getting a different introduction is because Bak and I decided that you have a different category of innocence."

"There are types of innocence?" He looked back and smirked at me.

"It seems that I finally peaked your interests!" Komui grins. "Do you want to know about the different types of innocence there are _now?"_ His tone reminds me of _him_ whenever he would give me his 'I told you so' sass, except this is coming from a grown man.

"Yea. Sure." I rolled my eyes.

"Now so far, the Order has discovered a total of three types of innocence: equipment, parasitic and crystal.

Equipment types are when the innocence is found inside of an object. An example of this would be Kanda's sword. When an accommodator activates it, they draw the energy out, turning the ordinary object into a weapon made to fight akuma. In normal circumstances, the innocence does not hurt the wielder.

Parasitic types are when the innocence is located on the accommodator body, like Allen's arm. When he activates his arm, the same process of drawing energy out continues. However, this type of innocence consumes some of the accommodator energy, so it can be a little straining on their body. But this can be managed easily with a well-rounded diet.

Crystal types are equipment typed innocence that has evolved. The innocence takes some of the user's blood and forms it into an advanced version of the original weapon."

"Then aren't I just a parasitic type because of my tattoos?" I asked.

"No. It's somewhat peculiar how your innocence works. It would be easy to just label you as a parasitic type and move on, but you only share one of the properties that parasitic accommodators have. So far, the only characteristic you share with parasitic types is that your innocence is located within your body. The two other characteristics are new to our understanding of innocence."

"What do you mean?"

"First off, parasitic accommodators are able to transform their innocence into a weapon. There are innocence particles attached to your blood cells, but they don't turn into a physical weapon like a sword or claw. Your tattoo just channels the innocence in your blood to create raw energy in the form of fire that can hurt akuma and people as well."

"Ok. So what's the other characteristic?"

He immediately halts, causing me to bump into his back. He turns around and meets me, eye to eye grimly. "Your innocence is also extremely spontaneous and life threatening to the user."

 _Spontaneous?_ "What do you mean?"

"Remember how Bak said that your innocence was attached to some of your blood cells?"

"Yes?"

"We ran multiple tests on your blood and it appeared that you were lacking multiple vitamins right after you activated your innocence for the first time.

To put it simply: your innocence is located in your blood. It takes an extreme amount of energy to activate. Once activated, it uses your tattoos as a medium and instead of forming a physical weapon, the energy comes out as fire, which can damage both akuma and humans. If you take too much energy from your innocence, your heart will stop beating. But if you were to get hurt, and your innocence absorbs too much energy to heal you, you will die, but it will be slow, and painful. And because your innocence is so unique, the higher ups at central won't be hesitant to use that raw innocence in science tests. What they would do to you is unknown, and I would like to keep it like that."

The atmosphere becomes stiff and almost hard to breath in. The concept of my body wanting to kill me from the inside is petrifying. Not just that, but the threat of being inhumanly transformed into a human guinea pig makes me want to vomit.

The mood lightens as he smiles. "So from this day forward, you will be sharing a room with Kanda."

"...excuse me?" I tossed the smile right back. "I think I misunderstood what you just said."

"I said, from this day forward, you will be sharing a room with Kan-"

"Are you out of your mind?!" I yelled. My voice travels throughout the hallways as I grabbed his lab coat collar. "Every time he sees me, I'm ten seconds away from getting my head sliced off! And a man and a woman sleeping in the same room?! Even though I suck at using my innocence I'm pretty sure that I can protect myself, thank you very much. But why Kanda?! Why not anyone else?! Aren't there any female exorcists here? Can't I pick who I wan-"

"It's only to protect your well-being! I'm pretty sure you don't want to spend every night in the hospital, do you? And I wasn't the one that suggested this." Komui pulled his hands up, as if I was the cop and he was the innocent suspect. "I only solidified the decision."

"Can't I just sleep in your off-" I slowly loosen my grip. "...who suggested it?"

Komui's pupils stroll away from mine. "...Bak."

"I'm calling bullshit."

"I'm not lying! I promise!"

"I've survived on the streets for too long not to know when someone's lying to me!"

"I'm not!"

"Then why did your eyes move right now?"

"Only because you're making me nervous." I completely release my hand around Komui's lab coat. I can't push my anger on him. He's just the messenger. Whoever set the order I can only assume that they don't know anything about Kanda or me. I'm hurting people again aren't I? Just like the monster I am.

"I'm...sorry." I apologized. Komui cocks his head. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Its fine," He smiles. "In about an hour, we'll have a spare bed in the room ready for you. I'm just glad that you're feeling better."

"I guess." The two of us soon stand in front of what seemed like a dark endless room and a metal glowing platform underneath.

"We're here. Just watch your step and jump onto this platform." I stepped on. Looking down, the floor was unseen. Just a pitch black endless void. Ants crawl up my spine. The floor suddenly fell beneath our feet, making me almost trip and leaving my stomach twisted. I hold my hand over my mouth to prevent an accident. "Sorry. I guess I go down here so much, I just got used to the drop." The fall slowly came to a halt. I struggle to get back on my two feet. Around us is tiny lanterns that floated around the room.

"Why are we down here?" I asked. "There's nothing here."

"Kuro, turn around and look at me." Komui cupped his hands around my cheeks once I did so and smiles. "Stay calm, ok?"

"What's going o-AH!" My body becomes weightless and air bound. Ghostly tentacles slime up my legs, arms and torso as Komui quickly turns into a small dot.

"So, Hevalaska, what do you think of our new apostle of God?" His voice echoes up towards me.

"Show me your innocence, young one." She whispers

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! KOMUI GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" I struggle, fight, worm, but nothing happens. Instead, the creature tightens its grip, refraining all movement from my body.

"Do not be afraid my child. This will only take a minute." A small needle-like sensation covers my entire body, forcing my veins to bulge out. Every cell that makes up me is violated. "One percent, five percent, thirteen percent, twenty-five percent, thirty-seven percent, forty-five percent, fifty-one percent, fifty-nine percent, sixty percent. Your maximum synchronization rate is sixty percent." I'm lowered slowly back onto the same platform. I attempt to buckle my legs to stand up, but it's no use. She places me on my bottom with my hands holding my back up, legs bent to the side and my head looking down at the floor.

"Kuro," the divine creature goes on. "With options, you will provide peace and tranquility through conflict and destruction in order to start anew." The entity slowly faded away, leaving Komui and me alone in the dark void.

"What an interesting prophecy!" Komui applauds. "Her predictions are never wrong! But your synchronization rate is lower than I expected with your innocence being a vital part of your body. We probably need to look out for...Kuro?" My teeth start to shatter as I vibrate vigorously. My heart's rhythm is punctured with small skips and speeds up. Breathing shallow. Heart racing. Head dense. Mobility nonexistent. Thoughts nihility.

Komui walks around, squats down to face me and reaches his hand out towards me shoulder "Are you alri-" I gently slapped the comforting hand away.

"I….I…" Each word struggles to roll off my tongue and out of my still shattering mouth. "I just...want to take a shower and go to bed." Komui eyes soften. He then pulls out a silver key with my name attached on a tag. He also reaches into his breast pocket, pulls out a small notepad and pen, scribbles something down, torn the paper off and handed both items to me.

"Here you go. Have a good night Kuro."

* * *

I followed Komui's directions and found myself in front of one of the many identical doors in the hallway, dig into my left pocket and pulled out the small grooved door key _. I'm sharing a room with the same man that tries to kill me with every chance he has_. Just the logic behind those string of words sounds idiotic. I put a fist towards the door and paused. If it's my room, do I still knock? What if he's doing something private? Does he know that we're sharing a room?

Taking the jump, I inserted the key and slowly unlocked the door.

"Kanda?" I gradually creaked the door open. The room was vacant, with one bed, one dresser, a hanging round clock and one desk set. Although obviously made or a single person, like the rest of Headquarters, the room did not lack style and decoration with its teal painted walls and matching hickory furniture set. The only peculiar object inside of the room was an hourglass that sat on top of the desk. A lotus flower sat on the top and a couple of its fallen petals scattered the bottom of the glass.

Entering, I noticed on top of the dresser laid multiple types of clothes folded up with a cream white bag next to them. My name was terribly scribbled on the bag in marker. I unfolded and pulled out one of the sets. A woman's gray long sleeved pajama top and black lounge pants. Nothing too fancy or girly. Perfect. I grabbed a pair, plopped them into the basket and made my way to the public bathhouse.

* * *

Two cloth signs hung under each door as they split the rooms for each sex; a blue cloth for men and a red cloth for women. So far I've never seen a single girl in this building other than the nurse so having two sections sounds like a waste of space.

I opened the door open to see a Japanese style locker room with a massive shelf. The oak shelf was made into boxes and in each box was a bin to place your clothing. A small towel was also placed inside every compartment. I completely undressed, folded each article and placed everything into the basket with my trench coat on the bottom, and walked out into the bathing area with the privacy towel covering my chest. I've been to bathhouses like these in Greece, so I wasn't too scared of being nude in front of other women in a designated room like this.

Sliding the wooden doors across came an outburst of steam, clouding my vision. Squinting, I could spot multiple wooden buckets, faucets, soap dispensers and mirrors lined up against the gray walls. A large onsen-like pool was centered with multiple decorative rocks boarding its sides. No one else could be seen, which makes it the perfect place to have some alone time.

I sit down on a designated stool in front of a long mirror for soaping up before you dip into the hot water, lathered myself with soap and stared into the reflection. _It's me._ Even after all this time, I'm still Kuro. I'm still tall and toned from my days of working as a blacksmith, but not fully muscular for a woman. My scarlet hair is still thin and straight, going all the way to my waist with bangs that barely touch my alienating yellow eyes. Everything about me has always been the same except for the past few days. The once black and triangle shape was now had a symbol inside of it and stretches towards my hands. These marks…

They're hideous.

I fill the wash bucket with water from the running faucet and poured it over my head, allowing all of the lathered soap bubble to disappear and leaving me cleansed from two days of dirt, dust and sweat. My feet slowly dive into the scorching hot water, and step by step, I lowered my entire body into the onsen, allowing my aching muscles to loosen and enjoy the solitude and resonance of silence.

A quick burst of cold air sweeps through the room, giving the back of my neck goosebumps. High pitched humming and footsteps travel through the room. _So much for silence and solitude._ I turn around, facing the corner to signal whoever that person is to leave me alone. Running water, buckets clanking and splashes echo through the onsen. Footsteps get louder each second.

"Hi," a soft sweet voice comes from behind me. The voice of a girl. I slowly turned around to see a Chinese girl that was most likely younger than me by a few years. Her black hair stopped around her shoulders which complimented her round, feminine eyes. "Can I join you?"

"Yea." I turned back to my beginning position with my arms holding me up on the rocks and my chin resting between them. Water softly splashes as I can hear the girl lowering herself into the water.

"I've never seen your face before," she said. "Are you new to the Order?

"I just got here today." I responded. _Please leave me alone. I don't want to be your friend_

"That's neat. Did you come as an exorcist?"

"Yea."

"Well it's nice to see another female exorcist around my age here!" I turn back around to see her smiling and elated. "I'm Lenalee Lee. But you can just call me Lenalee."

"Kuro." Lenalee Lee. Her last name sounds quite familiar. Isn't there another person with the last name Lee here?

"I just got back from a long mission, so it's nice to soak up in a hot bath at the end of the day, don't you agree?"

"I suppose so." _I couldn't care less about your mission._

"How do you like your new home now?" _Home…_ So many people today kept asking me this stupid question _,_ but they never called it their _home._

"I...don't know." I whispered _. Home..._

"That makes sense. You just got here, didn't you? You must be tired of hearing that aren't you? Well I hope we can become friends."

"Yea..." I lowered my head. _She…wants to be friends with me?_ I can feel my legs starting to shake.

"But I hope no one here was too pushy! My brother can be like that sometimes. But other than him, everyone here is really nice once you get to know them. Allen, for example, is really nice and friendly! When he's not on a mission, chances are he's in the cafeteria eating insane amounts of food. Lavi's really sweet and funny as well. He can get a bit annoying from time to time, but once you get used to it, he can be a great guy. Kanda...well…he's Kanda. You just have to get use to his...Kuro? What's wrong?"

"I-I hate it here!" I screamed. Every piece of rock inside of me busted out as tears and hyperventilation. Her eyes widen in shock. "I-I-I was just back in G-Greece a few days ago! I-I was happy! I loved living with my little brother! I enjoyed cooking food for him! I was happy even on the days he was mad at me when I cooked vegetables for h-him! He completed me! I-I was ok with b-being a blacksmith! Even when my master would chase and hit me. I was so, SO happy and s-satisfied with everything I created and made for the only two people that I cared about! A-a-and everything just left me! Now, my b-brother is dead, my Master disappeared, the entire town thinks that I'm a demon, and I'm stuck with the fact that I was the reason so many people died eight years ago. Then I'm dropped off here with nowhere else to go, with so many people that I can't trust, weird memory flashes and with information that I'm a ticking time bomb waiting to be experimented on if I'm not careful! . I-I don't k-know what to do anymore! I'm so lost and confused! I'm in pain! I'm s-so-

I was cut off with a warm embrace. Our body's connected. Although uncomfortable and embarrassing, I could sense that she was the one that kept the peace here. The one that made this 'hell' a 'home' for everyone.

"It's ok," she lift one of her hands and gently stroked my hair. My tears refuse to stop. All of the pain, suffering, agony, and bitterness throughout the past few days have finally been released out of my eyes. "Shhhh… everything will be ok. It's ok to cry."

" _Don't cry sis. Please don't cry. Everything will be alright."_

"It's ok to cry. Just let it out. Everything will be ok."

I wailed into her neck as both of our bodies made contact. Everything poured out. Jett, Master Deo, my life in Greece, work, the Massacre, my innocence, my loneliness, everything as if the dam has finally been destroyed. When my heart was emptied, she awkwardly released me, apologized and talked about her experiences as well. Her brother Komui and his sister complex, how she never wanted to be an exorcist, and how this place was now her home. Is this what they call 'girl talk'? But why here? Why to this strange girl in a public bathhouse? Maybe it's because I was fed up with everything. Maybe it's because I was stripped down to nothing and I couldn't hide behind my pride. Maybe it's because she was a nice person.

Or maybe I've accepted the position I'm now in.

* * *

Cleansed from dirt, sweat, and worries, I entered my room with my new attire on. The second bed that was supposed to be brought in here was absent along with Kanda. I folded up my trench coat and other clothes neatly, placed them into an empty dresser drawer, and without thinking, hopped onto the single large bed and sunk my face into a pillow to wait for the next day.

 _This place…will be interesting to get used to._

* * *

 **Preview**

My eyes slowly flutter open. The sun welcomes me with its obnoxious rays, making me groan and wanting to close my eyes shut. I have no reason to get out of bed early in the morning at 6 o' clock anymore. I have no need to go to work or make anyone breakfast.

The bed's soft cushion only wants to pull me back into my deep slumber and my back is too warm to move. I start to squint my eyes until I see black strands sprawled out in front of me. _That's not my hair. What is that_? Pressure is pushed onto the sides of my waist as I'm pulled backwards. Their legs cross over mine, giving me even more warmth than before. I gently lift the covers up to see two masculine hands embracing me tightly. Heart pounding. Cheeks flaming. _Don't tell me…_ I slowly turned around, to see the same handsome man with a rotten attitude and his hair sprawled out across the bed.

"Al…ma" he mumbles."

* * *

 **AN: Wow... It took six chapters for three days to pass in this story. The next chapter will be uploaded a little bit sooner because I have a project that I'm doing for someone.**


	7. Novice Arc Part One: Mornings

**AN: Hello. Sorry for the delayed wait. This was my second attempt of writing a 10k word chapter because I feel like the story is not moving fast enough. I wrote the whole chapter again but it was terrible. Things will start moving faster once the next arc begins (the mission arc). For now, please enjoy this short chapter, which is only 1/3 of the arc.**

 **Also,**

 **I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

 **Edit: I'm tampering with some of the files to change one small thing. I know it's unethical but I feel like her age (which as I type this is 19) is too old. So I'm just going to make her a bit younger. My apologies.**

* * *

"You do realize that this idea of yours, will lead to nothing but an endless circle of pain and suffering for both you and Kuro, right?"

"..."

"Kanda, aren't you listening to me? Are you really willing to go through the same experiences you had ten years ago?! And risk Kuro, a girl you've just met a few days ago, of getting dragged into your little scheme?!"

"Che. I'm willing to take every chance that I have. The only goal I've made in my whole life was to find _her_. And you're telling me, that even with the only lead I've gotten since day ONE stands right in front of me, I still shouldn't take it?!"

"You shouldn't take it because that's not her! My parents were there during the destruction of Laboratory 6! They watch Alma fall with their own, lifeless eyes! Even if the tattoo on her chest is from the Second Exorcist Plan, That doesn't mean that _her_ memories are inside of Kuro!"

"Bak, Calm down. Kanda, let's think about this logically. You do know that _she_ and Alma have been dead for years now. That's not _her._ But, if the tattoo is found out by Lvellie, the Order will try to figure out a way to use her in inhumane ways. To create a type of Innocence that can survive without an accommodator and can be used by other exorcists. And let's not forget about the Earl, whose getting stronger every minute."

"..."

"..."

"...we will only go through with this on the following two conditions."

"Komui!"

"What are the conditions?"

"Kuro cannot know about this plan. You also have to protect her wherever she goes, whether if the danger is from akuma, or from Central. That means you'll always be paired up with her during missions."

"And?"

"If Central gets even slightly suspicious of what we're doing, then we'll stop immediately. No matter how close you are to your goal. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Very well. We will set up the arrangements. Now we just have to have a conference with Kuro."

"When?"

"Now."

* * *

My eyes slowly flutter open. The sun welcomes me with its obnoxious rays, making me groan and wanting to close my eyes shut. I have no reason to get out of bed early in the morning at 6 o'clock anymore. I have no need to go to work or make anyone breakfast.

The bed's soft cushion only wants to pull me back into my deep slumber and my back is too warm to move. I start to squint my eyes until I see black strands sprawled out in front of me. That's not my hair. What is that? Pressure is pushed onto the sides of my waist as I'm pulled backwards. Their legs cross over mine, giving me even more warmth than before. I gently lift the covers up to see two masculine hands embracing me tightly. Heart pounding. Cheeks flaming. Don't tell me…I slowly turned around, to see the same handsome man with a rotten attitude and his hair sprawled out across the bed.

"Al…ma" he mumbles as he starts to snuggle closer into my back. I clapped my hand over my mouth, resisting the urge to scream. My heart throbs as my cheeks heat up. I should've known that sleeping on the only bed in the room would lead to this situation, and it is HIS room. I've dug my own grave and with no way of getting out.

Staring at him, without the scowl on his face, his handsome features are exposed. His tight jaw line, long eyelashes and his black silky bangs that cover parts of his forehead creates the illusion of a model. And those lips. Those soft, thin lips. The the sun gently kisses his sleepy form, which amplifies every feature on his face. If this asshole acted just like how he looks, he would be untouchable by any woman. Disrupting someone in this kind of state of mind feels like a sin, but it's mandatory for me to leave before he wakes up and has an episode. I gradually start to detangle my legs for his.

"Alma," Kanda's masculine arms slowly tightens around my waist. Little by little, his fingers trickle under my shirt, making skin-to-skin contact. A shiver travels from head to toe as he moves his arms to my rib cage and pulls me in tighter for a deeper embrace. "Alma...don't go…" Who is this 'Alma' person? Is he dreaming?

The warmth of another's body can be quite addicting, as it connect and cycle between us, making the two of us one. The bed began to suck me back into oblivion as my eyes start to close.

"Kanda?" A loud obnoxious knock attached with a deep voice could bombarded my ears across the room and behind the door. Kanda's deep, endless orbs spark open as they meet mine. Flustered, I shoved him off of the bed, causing him to fall on the ground and for me to fall on the opposite side near the window. The door is then pushed open, letting a crack of light sneak in. "Are you in here? You're usually out training now and I couldn't find you. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Marie." Kanda snorted back. "I just slept in late. Go away I'll be out soon." My attraction to him instantly shatters into glass shards as I rubbed my head, still laying on the ground. I can't like this man! I refuse to! Even with his body being so warm and comforting, everything inside is all rotten to the core. The door closes gently as Kanda walks around the bed and glares at me, wearing black lounge clothes. "Why the hell did you push me off?!" He roared, eyebrows now furrowed.

"What do you mean?!" I jumped up from the bed to defend my pride. "Why were you sleeping and cuddling next to me?!"

"Because it is my bed and my room damn it!" Already lost the argument. "And how should've I known that I was cuddling next to you?! Komui said that there should've been another bed placed in here by now. I got into my bed to sleep. You're the intruder. End of story." I was taken aback. I stood there silently with my fists clenched, embarrassed. I can't win with him, can I?

"Whatever." I childishly sassed back as I walked towards the dresser drawer with my clothes in it, snagged a black button up long sleeved blouse, white pants, black underwear, chest bindings and my trench coat. I then moved towards the corner of the room and started to strip with my top coming off first. I can feel Kanda's eyes piercing through my body.

"Woman," he muttered. "What are you doing?"

"Changing." I start to untwine my bindings. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Have you no shame?"

"At this point no since I was forced to strip down by two people here. Look away if you really think my body is that hideous." I start to apply the new bandages. "I'll be out of your room by ten tonight. I'll make arrangements with Komui. If there's no vacant room then I'll sleep outside."

"Che." I quickly replace all of my old clothes with new ones. I turned around and saw Kanda's back turned away from me. I can't tell if he's being a gentleman or if he finds just the sight of me that repulsive. "I...didn't...mean it like…whatever! I'm out of here. You're not...Ugh" I hear him stomp outside and the door slammed shut behind me. My mind scrambles with the information it was just fed. Why was Kanda stuttering? And who's Alma? Every time I get an answer, more questions start to form. It's like an ongoing game of chess, and I'm the losing side, unsure of what move I should take next. My stomach answers my question with a loud growl. Well, I guess breakfast is a good start. I slip on my trench coat and peep out the door. Left. Right. Left. Right. _The coast is clear_. I make my way towards the canteen.

I stroll down the hallways of my new _home_. Although similar, I've noticed that each hallway has small details that makes each one different. Whether it's an extra window, door, or the chandeliers are a different color, one hallway is almost never identical to another one. The building is a lot livelier in the morning with people in casual clothes and lab coats as they wander about. I make a swift turn to see Allen locking the door behind him. Timcanpy was nestled between his snowy locks. Our eyes meet and he smiles.

"Good morning Kuro," He greeted. "Had a good rest?"

"I guess you could say that. Where are you going?"

"To the dining hall," he points his thumb in the opposite direction. "Want to come with me?"

"Sure." We walked together through the halls with Allen seeming to be upbeat.

"Hey Allen,"

"Yea?"

"You seem pretty happy today," I commented. "For some reason, I didn't expect you to be a morning person."

"I'm just glad."

"Glad of what?"

"I'm glad that you seem to be happier compared to before."

"Really?" My cheeks tint lightly. "But you barely know me."

"Yes, but I'm willing to get to know you more. You seem to be a cool person, and you don't give yourself enough credit, Kuro."

"Credit? I'm just doing what I would normally do."

"But it's the things you do that shows people what you're like on the inside."

I cocked my head to the side. "You're not making any sense Allen. I haven't done anything special."

Allen stretches his arm to scratches his head, causing his golem to fly away and rest on his shoulder. "Well, when I met you in Tesus and you opened the door to your house, your first reaction wasn't to enter inside, but to grab your little brother and protect him. Also, when you were mad at me, you still bought me that delicious bags of pies. It shows that you're a caring and kind person, which makes me want to learn more about you."

"But wasn't I supposed to do those things? What I did sounds more obligatory rather than something special."

Allen frowns. "You say that like you never met Kanda before." I chuckle at his little comment, even though I still don't completely agree with him. The idea of walking with someone new just to get a bite to eat is unremarkably new to me. Is this something Allen considers 'credit'? Or am I just doing what's asked of me? "Oh. I almost forgot to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Komui wanted to see you after breakfast to prepare you for going on missions."

Missions? Already? I just got here yesterday. I know that they're forces are sparse, but why would they send a complete novice out? "What will he do?" I asked.

"Oh! Nothing too dangerous!" Allen waved his arms, flustered. "Well, we need to get your measurements for your uniform, Komui also needs to make you a golem, and you will probably go through a physical combat and innocence test or training with one of us."

I shrugged. "I guess I'll have to learn a new fighting style then."

"Didn't you manage to land a hit on Kanda back in Tesus?" Allen's face turns black as a devious grin spreads across his pale face. "I can't wait to tell Lavi about that!" This kid is not the angel that saved me from the falling house.

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure that was pure luck. My fighting style has more to do with strategy, trickery and instinct. You see, when I first arrived in Greece, I lived on the streets for about a year, so I was forced to learn how to steal, defend and attack others. When I became Master Deo's apprentice, I was surrounded by people who have seen multiple battlefields in their days. I would eavesdrop and listen to their conversations as they chatted with my Master. Once they found out that I was interested, they started teaching me basic skills such as getting to know your enemy, or to use what's given at a moment's notice. They've all taught me so much little by little, even when I was just a small girl. And overtime, I took their words and put them to good use." I couldn't help but to smile tenderly during my tangent. The days when I was a brat, although hard, had memorable small events that make me who I am today. And this coat is my memento of my past.

Allen smiles softly. "That's sounds like a sweet memory."

"It is…"


	8. Novice Arc Part Two: Heartbeat

**AN: Hello. I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The cafeteria was now bustling with people walking in and out. Scientists with lab coats, and men wearing tan cloaks chat loudly amongst themselves at tables and in the middle of the cafeteria. I spot a few people with exorcist uniforms but I don't attempt to get out of my way to greet them. Why should I? I don't have a reason to stray away from the people I already know. Allen and I get into the long line full of people who are also starving. Every few seconds, we get closer to our destination.

When it's his turn, I gaze at him as he lists off his grocery list for breakfast. Five omelets, twelve stacks of buttermilk pancakes, ten cups of oatmeal, three bowls of rice, three bowls of fruit salad, four dozen chocolate covered doughnuts, fifteen strips of bacon and sausage, and to top it off, twenty sticks of mitarashi dango. I, on the other hand, just got a bowl of vanilla yogurt with walnuts, almonds, honey and blueberries on top plus a cup of cold black tea. As we go down to sit at a vacant table, Allen raises an eyebrow. "Aren't you hungry?" He asked.

"Of course." I take a bite out of my yogurt as Allen begins to dig into his pile. The creamy texture matches well with the crunchy nuts, and the blueberries and honey combo adds a kiss of sweetness. "I wouldn't be eating if I wasn't hungry."

"Then why are you barely eating anything? Aren't you a parasitic type?" I remember the conversation Komui's and I had yesterday. Do I tell him about my strange innocence? I'm sure that he's not have a connection with Central's higher ranking officers but if they were to find out somehow…

* * *

" _The higher ups at Central won't be hesitant to use that raw Innocence in science tests. What they would do to you is unknown, and I would like to keep it like that."_

* * *

"I am a parasitic type," I lie through my teeth. "But I probably get more of my energy through sleeping. I'm a strange case."

"That makes sense." Allen resumes to his meal.

Now that I think about it, when I did activate my Innocence, I felt exhausted after one use. Maybe I should adapt to a heavier diet like Komui said. I start to feel nauseous as I scan all of the food on Allen's brown pile. Although mouthwatering separate, but at that amount, unappetizing.

"Oi Allen," My shoulders begin to gain weight as someone's arms applies pressure and leans on my back "Kinda rude to ask about a girl's eating habits, don't cha think?" That voice. Damn it. I swift my head around to see the ginger, eyepatch-wearing pervert from yesterday, leaning his chest on my back, Lavi. He gives me a wink. "Hey Ku! Nice to see you in a good mood." I sigh as I push his arm off. His upbeat charisma and carefree personality makes me uneasy along with that one glossy grass eye that punctures deep into your thoughts.

"I told you to stop calling me Ku." I responded.

"Why?"

"Because it's not my name damn it!" I put my elbow on the table and hold my head up with the palm of my head.

"Well it's closer to the other nickname, Cutie! We can go back to that if you want."

My eyes rolled as I try to continue with my meal. "Please leave me alone."

"Why do you hate me so much?" The redhead whined like a child.

"Because you're annoying, clingy, you try to flirt with me every time our eyes met and you won't leave me alone." I answered half-heartedly. Hate. It's a strong word to use against another person. But when it's about Lavi, a clever, manipulative, extroverted man whom I'm not familiar with whatsoever starts to cling onto me, the word hate dulls down to meet his description.

"But Allen's with you," he points at Allen who gave us a nervous laugh and continues with his breakfast. "Why is he allowed to be with you but I'm not?"

"Because he's a nice guy."

"And I don't try to seduce every woman I see." Allen joins in on the attack, making him out numbered. "Why don't you start acting like a gentleman, like me?"

"What do you mean?" Lavi puts his long lanky legs under the table to sit down right next to me. I slide over a couple of inches before his arm touches mine. Lavi pulls his bandana down to his neck and combs his hair back with his hand. "I am a gentleman!"

"No you're not." Allen and I both spoke in sync.

Allen swaps a cleaned plate for a stack of pancakes. "Who said that you're a gentleman?"

"That old lady back in Switzerland! Two missions ago! You were there too!"

"Her?" He starts devouring his doughnuts. "The old woman back at the inn?! She doesn't count!"

"How so?!"

"You just held the door for her! That's not being a gentleman! That's just common manners!"

"Says the little kid with a giant mess in front of me!" Allen's eyes go from cloudy to sharp steel, almost as if he had a different personality.

"Says the 'adult' who has an IQ smaller than his manhood'!" Lavi's face went from pale peach to ruby red in the blink of an eye as Allen smirked.

My lips started to quiver as I struggle to contain my smile I attempt to cover my mouth, but it was too late.

That retort broke me.

I started to giggle profoundly with my hand covering my mouth and my head on the table. Allen's comeback was terrible. REALLY terrible. Corny, old, childish, stale, just bad! I wanted to save him with a better insult, but I didn't want to break out of my 'character in front of Lavi, nor was I willing to go too far into their conversation, but it's too late. My head rose up with small tears in my eyes. The two of them were taken aback from my reaction. Allen ceased his meal while Lavi slid back a couple of feet from me.

"Ah- Allen," I struggle to roll my words out.

"Y-yes?"

"You're…a strange one. I never thought of you...could say those kinds of things. I thought you were a pure innocence angel!" I use my finger to wipe off a tear as I witness the albino boy's cheeks flush as well.

"Well...thank you?"

After a few seconds of deep breathing, I sip on my black tea, feeling piped up. Lavi puffs his cheeks out and pouts until a sly grin spreads across his face. What is this child planning now?

"Since we're already on that topic, Allen, if you're starting to feel a love spark between you and Kuro, I wouldn't...you know...go all the way it's her," I choked on my tea and go into a coughing spasm. Allen's face steams as I try to catch my breath. My eyes dart to Lavi, who was grinning even harder. He went over the line.

"Why would you say that Lavi?!" Allen shouts as he slams his hands on the table. "She just got here! Sto-"

"Because she's dating Yu." An awkward silence slides between the three of us as Allen and I stare at the redhead in confusion until Allen started to break out in manic laughter. "I'm telling the truth!"

"Lavi, aren't Bookmen supposed to be smart?" Allen gasps for air as he holds his stomach. I don't have time for this.

"I have somewhere to go and things to do today," I got up, placed my dishes on the designated table and started walking towards the exit. "Bye Allen." I did one swift wave for a goodbye, sprinted out of the canteen and turned left.

"Wait! I can show you the way to wherever you're..." His voice rapidly gets faint each second it takes for me to reach the end of the hallway... _Just keep running. Just keep running._ He's following me, I know it. But why? What does he want from me?!

The scenery quickly becomes unfamiliar to me. Instead of the warm teal walls from before, the walls instantly turned ruby red and the windows were replaced with frames of old European art. I probably made a mistake by turning left when I left the canteen.

I make another left turn to see two massive oak doors in front of me. A dead end. The left door was slightly opened and shot out a ray of light, increasing my curiosity. I lightly nudged the door open.

"Excuse me…" I reveal the most magnificent library my eyes have gazed upon my entire life. The floor was covered with sea blue tiles and went up multiple floors. Each floor had rows of shelves filled with an impeccable colorful amount of books. The cold uninhabited air creates an ominous aura, but my curiosity has already peaked. I passively strolled in, trying to reduce as much noise as possible from my boots. The further I inserted myself in, the more hallways of books appeared. Magnificent.

Although I was never the bookworm type as a child, I always read books on foraging weapons that master Deo kept around the shop. But I admire the concept of having the world's knowledge at your fingertips. Maybe they have books on blacksmiths? I walk up to the nearest row of bookshelves and trickle my fingers down to a thin burgundy book. I flipped the cover over to see a dragon carved into the front with the title _Igneous; New Life. Book 1._ My fingers trickle through the old pages and stops at a random page.

 _Every morning, Siren planned to write down every thought that stumbled into her dreams, thoughts that spread like wildfire on a scorching August night. As she-"_

Easy, thick and interesting. Although I should start from the begging. I placed the book on a nearby table to see a towering stack of writing tools in front of me. Black leather notebooks were in piles along with boxes of pens. I snatched up a black notebook to and peeled back the cover to multiple blank pages. While I'm stuck at my new _home_ , I might as well pick up a hobby so I'm not bored. Or maybe I can do something to distract myself from anyone that's being a nuisance. Writing? Drawing? Reading? I'll decide later.

"I see that you've taken quite a liking to the Order's library, Miss." I jump from the sudden raspy and dusty voice coming from behind, causing me to juggle the book I was holding. My heart skips as I turned around slowly. Below my waist was a short elder with an exorcist uniform and a long gray curly ponytail that was half his height. Black circles enclosed his wrinkled small eyes as he smoked a cigarette. "Most people don't go deep within these hallways." I slowly sat the book down on the table and frowned.

"I guess visitors are unwelcome here. Sorry for intruding, I'll make my way out of here."

"I didn't say that you needed to leave," the older man said. His personality and tone of voice was as bright as the black circles underneath his eyes, or at least it appears to be. "It's good to see the younger ones in places like these. I don't have a real name. You could say that it's been forgotten long ago. So please call me Bookman." Bookman gestured his hand out. I could sense the vast amount of wisdom and knowledge he had with each word that rolled off his tongue. But, those eyes. Those damn keen eyes. My insides feel like they're being violated through each second that we stand together. Twisted, mangled and ripped to shreds. Both of them. Both Lavi and this old man are on the same team to find out every single piece of information I have. It makes me want to vomit.

To play his game, I slap on a fake smile and shake his hand. "My name is Kuro. Are the items in here are free to use by members of the Black Order?"

"Yes, they are," he answered. "Take what you need."

"Thank you." I grabbed the novel, notebook and pen and made my way towards the exit as quick as possible.

"Oh, and Kuro?" Bookman called out once more, forcing me to pause right by the exit. I forced the smile back on and turned to him.

"Yes?"

"If you see a red headed boy with an eyepatch while in the area, please tell me where his is."

"A redhead with an eyepatch?" I questioned. "Do you mean Lavi?" Bookman shakes his head and slaps his hand onto his face.

"Yes. My idiot apprentice should've been here by now. And he thinks that he could become my successor at this rate?" _Apprentice, successor..._ I knew it.

"Ok Bookman, I'll see you in the future." I finally manage to escape outside of the library back into the halls that were filled with doors. I just need to find my way back to Komui's office. I start my journey and walked to the end of the hallway. I get to the end, turn right and my wrist gets snatched and tugged away. I grounded my feet to stop them from dragging me.

"Ow! What are you-Kanda?" The man who once held my arm had his usual scowl smeared on his face, panting like a dog. His arms and broad shoulders were tense, as if he was about to fight someone. Beads of sweat glided down his forehead.

"There you are!" He attempt to speak while gasping for air. "I've been looking for you everywhere! You're coming with me." Kanda then grabbed my wrist again abs started to drag me along like a doll until I snatched my wrist back.

"What the hell? No!" I retort. "And why were you looking for me?"

The raven haired man clicks his tongue. "Because Komui told me to get you!"

I rolled my eyes and walk past him. "Well I'm going alone. The last person I want to be around is you." He runs up to me and tries to match my pace side by side.

"Where did you just come from?"

"The library, and it's none of your business."

"It is my business!" Kanda steps right in front of my path, causing me to collide into his chest and fall along with my notebook and pen. He kneels down so we can meet eye to eye.

"Listen to me," His once furrowed eyebrows go slack along with his cheeks. My eyes are locked onto his as we exchange stares. "Don't step one foot into that library _ever_ again."

"Why?" I challenge. "Just leave me alone!"

"Just stay away from Lavi, Bookman and the library you stupid woman!"

" _Stupid woman!"_

 _"Crybaby."_

" _Bitch."_

All of my anger towards him for the past few days erupted. My nails dig into the ground, trying to resist the urge to sock the man in front of me.

"Maybe I'll start to hang out with Lavi more!" I yelled. The shot of adrenaline pierces through my bloodstream as each second passes. "At least he doesn't sass me back and call me Woman all the time! I would rather be around him or Allen! I at least enjoy spending time with Allen! Why the hell was I paired up with you? You don't even have the decency to say my name! And you expect me to follow your advice as if they're orders? I might be the Order's toy, but not yours to tinker with! I can get that abuse from Central! Now piss off or..." my voice trails of softly as Kanda's reaction cancels my rant. His eyes widen at my last sentence as his arms started to tremble and tighten. Kanda, the ice cold bastard that I despise so much, was shaking as if I scolded him like a mother. He bit his bottom lip with enough pressure to cause a small stream of blood to tear down his chin as he raises his hand and clenches it.

I screwed up, didn't I?

I start to back away to escape the attack until he grabs both of my shoulders with monstrous strength. His nails dig into my jacket as I feel the pressure on my flesh.

"Just do what I say Woman! Why can't you even follow a simple direction?! I don't know how else to put it!" He starts to vigorously shake my body. I can't read this man. He keeps giving me vague pieces of information that can't be combined to make a complete thought, like a child. And for some unknown reason, I want to know why. Why would someone be curious about a new bratty exorcist? Maybe he doesn't know what else to do or say and just spits out insults and gets annoyed at what he can't do. Frustrated, flustered, anger, pain. Maybe...I can help him.

I grab onto one of his shoulders, lowered my tone and took a deep breath in. I know that no matter how much it's his fault, I was the one that poured oil into the flame. Someone needs to be a peacemaker, and I'm the only person that knows how.

"Kanda," I start off slowly with blushing cheeks and my eyes glued onto the ground. "I'm...sorry for what I've said...in the past...and now. But I need to know something. Please tell me what's been bothering you." His eyes soften as he drops his hands off of my arms. "Ever since this morning, you've been acting strange. I...don't know how you act normally, but it's as if you're being suffocated by multiple problems." Kanda turns into a statue. I use one of my hands and gently cupped his ice cold cheek. Steadily, instead of a quick burst of fire, I struggle to only apply a lick of comforting heat to my palm. "I know that you hate me, but maybe if you talk to me about what's wrong, I might get to know you. And we can become...you know...don't make me say it..."

Kanda sighed, closes his eyes and grabbed my hand to place it onto his heart. Each beat was jagged and rigged as it speeds up in tempo. My heart follows in his footsteps and my race turns tomato red. What is he doing? Kanda then mumbles to himself so softly, I struggle to comprehend his words and actions. I want to draw my hand back, ask him more questions, or run away in confusion. But for some reason, I want to stay put. I want to learn more and help him. His heartbeat goes from jagged to smooth one beat at a time. My heart follows his as it falls in sync in a slow, soft melody.

Kanda deeply inhaled, his eyes flutter open and lock into mine once more. "Listen, there are some people here you don't want to get involved in for reasons I cannot say. In this case, you don't want to be around those two. They're trouble, just like the people from central. And...I don't want you to get hurt. Is that enough information?"

A switch flips inside of my head. I'm so stupid! He's trying to protect me. He's been trying to all along. Why am I as stubborn as a mule?! My tone of voice is lowered to a soft and smooth rhythm. "Yes. It is."

And as if the handsome man was also a switch, his eyes hardened and his expressionless face turned right back into a frown as he starts to walk again. "Che. Follow me to Komui's office."

I shrugged and moved from my spot. "Sure".

Strangely enough, I think I'm starting to like him.

"So Kanda," I try to converse for once. "Did you eat breakfast yet? If so, what did you eat?"

"Tch. None of your damn business woman."

Or not.

* * *

The two of us walk into a large lab area. Multiple lines of desks were occupied by the living corpses of the men that died during their research. I pass desks overflowing with books, documents and folders along with passed out scientists using the tables as pillows. Only three men were alive and writing with gray bags under their eyes. Is this normal?!

We go up to Komui, who was chatting with a short goofy man with a lab coat and a brown sweater. His curly chocolate hair was matted together and pulled back to a bushy bun and his eyes were censored by thick round glasses.

"Kuro, you're a bit late, but thanks for coming in!" Komui smiled.

"Sorry," I rubbed the back of my neck "I guess you could say that I got lost." The goofy young one spotted us and grabbed my hand with both of his hands and smiled.

"You must be Kuro!" He said with excitement. "Hi! I'm Johnny, I'm part of the science division here! And I will also be taking your measurements for your exorcist uniform! Is there any design that you want?" His excessive enthusiasm lightens up the grim atmosphere in this graveyard.

"I get to pick out what my uniform looks like?" I asked.

"To an extent. The uniform has the base design of a military dress code. Not just that, but I create a uniform that's customized to your innocence. For example," he then points his finger at Kanda, causing him to look away. "Kanda's sword style requires him to be flexible around his waist and shoulders. So around those areas, we use a special type of fabric that is more durable and elastic."

"That makes a lot of sense," I commented.

"But we also want you to wear what's comfortable." Jonny pulls out a notepad and pen from his breast pocket and gets it ready to scribble. "Is there anything that your innocence does that can affect the uniform? Or is there a type of clothing you would want?"

"Hmm, can I have pants?" Johnny's hands moves at Mach speed.

"Of course! And?"

"When I activate my innocence, both of the sleeves get burned. And I get cold easily."

"So we need to fireproof your uniform and double insulate it. Thanks for the information. Anything else?" I look down at the arm of my trench coat and clenched it as I flash into freak accidents of this memento getting ripped to shreds. It's best to keep this tucked away back in my room.

"Can it look close to my trench coat?"

"Yes, but I need it for a reference." He raises his arms for me to plop the coat in front of him.

"N-never mind." I said as I grabbed back onto my sleeves. He cocks his head to the side.

"Oh I'm sorry! If you're cold we have long sleeved clothes for you to wear!"

"No...It's not that…" Johnny's cheeks start to redden.

"What am I saying? I didn't mean for you to stri-"

"Hey Kuro," Komui leans into the conversation and pats Johnny's head. "Did you know that Johnny was the one that fixed your coat?" My eyes gaped

"You did?"

"Yeah," The small scientist rubs his neck sheepishly and blushes. "It wasn't a big deal though. Just a patch job, nothing special." I swiftly slip off my jacket, folded it and held it out towards his arms.

"I trust you with my most prized possession. Please take care of it." I smiled as he took the trench coat away from me.

"Thank you for your trust." Johnny gave me a cheesy smile, took my measurements in seconds and runs off into another room. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Che, you're being over dramatic." His rude comment sparks a mental note I almost forgot to bring up.

"That reminds me! Komui?"

"Yes Kuro?"

"Is it possible to change my bedroom arrangements?" I asked. Both Kanda and Komui stared at each other and kept looking back at me as if they found an alien. "I'm pretty sure Kanda's ok with this too, right Kanda?" Once those words flew out of my mouth he glared at me.

"Che. Don't put words into my mouth Woman!"

"I can only assume that you want the same based on the way you acted this morning!"

"Now now! Settle down you guys." Komui moved his hands in and down. "We can figure out something!"

"You can't fight Kanda's battles for him all the time, brother." And familiar voice appears behind me. I turned around to see the girl that comforted me last night wearing an exorcist uniform with a skirt and holding a tray of mugs. Komui's beams.

"LENALEE!" The tall man jumps up and embraces Lenalee, who was now red, by her legs. "I've missed you so much! It feels like forever since I've saw you!"

"Brother," she sighs. "It's only been an hour."

"But one hour without you feels like ONE HUNDRED YEARS Lenalee." He whimpers. Kanda and I just stand there and watch their awkward interactions.

"Is he...ok?" I asked as the head of the Black Order falls into tears

"Don't worry about him Kuro, my brother can be a big idiot sometimes." Komui then gets up from his episode, pushes up his glasses and frowns.

"But Lenalee's right," He looks at Kanda. "Kanda, if you truly want to go through with this, you have to confront your own battles. I'm only here to assist." Lenalee and I look back and forth between the two men in front of us, confused as hell. "Do you understand this?" And for the first time, a rare occurrence happened. Kanda blushed. Heavily. His cheeks go from pale to peach along with the bridge of his nose. Lenalee and I just stared at the normally static man.

"Ugh! All of you are such pains in the ass!" He grumbled, stomping away as his face continues to grow in hue. The door slammed obnoxiously far behind us, making everyone in the science department look up from their dead state, only to fall back to sleep. Lenalee turns and gives me a pity smile.

"Don't worry about Kanda, Kuro. That's just his personality."

"Yup. That's just Kanda being Kanda." Komui exhales as his shoulders slug. He picks up a special blue rabbit mug from Lenalee's tray as she walks away to her duties.

"Did you call me here just for my measurements?" I asked.

"No. In fact I called you here for a few things." He sips his coffee. "You'll be going on your first mission tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?! This soon?!" I gawk. "Are you serious?!"

"Sadly, yes. Our numbers are sparse and we need new exorcists to go straight into the battlefield as soon as possible. Of course, this mission will be short and you'll be in a group of exorcists to help and protect you."

"But I can barely use my Innocence! And my left hand can only make a tiny flame! Not just that but my innocence is FIRE! How the hell am I supposed to control it? And I always feel exhausted after one use!"

"Which is why we need to get you some experience! In your case I believe that learning on your own in the battlefield would be more efficient compared to doing basic one to one combat with one of our exorcists in the arena." I sigh in disbelief and crossed my arms around my chest knowing that my options are slim.

"Fine. So what's the mission about?"

"Oh we will give you the information tomorrow around seven in the morning along with who you'll be going with. By then you'll also have your own uniform and golem."

"Great," I spoke in a monotone fashion as my foot started to tap in annoyance. "Now I just have one more question for you."

"Yes?"

"If I'm sharing a room with a Kanda because I need protection, can't I just share a room with Allen instead? I at least know him a little bit more."

"No." Komui flatly rejects as he sips his coffee.

"Why not?!"

"Let's just say...Allen also has his own battles to fight. And you need to learn how to interact with your teammates. They are your lifeline. Now no more questions and requests! Shoo! Komui started to shove me outside of the large department, making it to the exit door. "Oh I almost forgot!" He reaches into his lab coat pocket and hands me a strange orange bottle. The cover had a terribly scribbled portrait of his face and the words "Komui's VD"

"Komui's VD?" I keenly look at the red capsules in suspicion. "And this is…?"

"They're just supplements for your energy consumption issues. Don't worry, they don't have anything weird in them." I follow his orders and exit back into the large teal hallways.

Everything has been set in place, from the mission, to unfortunately the sleeping arrangements. I glance towards the window. The sun was nowhere to be seen in the light blue sky. The day is nowhere near finished. I guess I need to keep myself occupied until tomorrow.


	9. Novice Arc Part Three: Half-Friends?

**Author's note: Hello. I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below ( I would enjoy some hard criticism and tips on writing as well. Or just stop by and say that you're reading this. I get scared about the quality when I don't see any reviews). I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

 **Also,**

 **I'm sorry if this chapter seems rushed. This part was very hard for me to write and I want to go on with the story.**

* * *

While strolling through the hallway, I spot a thin glass door that leads to the outside. Going through the exit, I was welcomed by a soft breeze that combs through my tomato hair like fire. The ground sloped down around a mixture of giant oak and pine trees. This is the perfect place for some alone time. I take a deep breath in, inhaling the smell of pine leaves and the salty lake that surrounds the headquarters. I claimed a spot under the shade of the oak tree and the hill to lay down, still allowing me to view the cotton clouds pass by.

It's still incomprehensible that I wounded up here within the past few days. Everything moved to quick. I move my hand up and reached for one of the clouds with no success of grabbing them. I turned my hand around and scan the tattoos on my arm. The lines seem to be growing in hue, making the inside of the pattern light gray. I use my other hand to clutch the marks with my nails. These are the reasons why my life is hell. Jett, Greece and Master Deo was what made me whole. Being a blacksmith, with each swing of my fist I foraged my identity. And now, everything is gone. Faded, corrupted, disintegrated. Is this what I deserve because I depended on others just for my own selfish reasons? Were those the only significant parts in my life that made me Kuro? Or am I just a selfish brat who deserves the title "monster?"

Not just that, but the fact that my body is connected to the Order in relation to my tattoos. Why? And what does it have to do with my forgotten memories before I came to Greece? Nothing about me doesn't make sense. I just showed up out of nowhere and used people to hide my uncertainty. And now that I have nothing to hide behind, I'm stripped and every insecurity I have about myself is exposed.

My mind starts to blank out as I absorb the rays of the sun over my body along with the breeze. The world consumes my consciousness, as I fall into a light slumber.

* * *

I open my eyes. Empty. Nothing is here. All light reflected back is gone as I stand in this void like room. I glance down. My outfit is the same as before, but a peculiar ghostly glow emits from me. Am I dead?

"Hey!"

What's that noise? Where am I?

"Over here silly!" I turned around. A familiar boy stood there wearing a red cotton shirt. His thin chocolate hair covered his eyes, but not his smile. A smile that I oh so want to see. A smile that I miss.

"JETT!" I screamed. I fled. My legs moved unconsciously, knowing what to do. My arms wrapped around his whole body as I start to cry tears of joy and hiccup for air. "J-Jett! I missed you! I-I was so scared! I thought you were dead!" I looked at his face. His smile turned into a frown as his body began to lower. Something's not right. I try to grasp him, only to catch a handful of dust.

"Why…" He moaned with agony. I attempt to brush his hair back up to see his eyes. Nothing. They're empty. The sockets were vacant, along with his mouth as he slowly melted into a pile of gray ash. "Why did you kill me?" The dust is then is picked up by a strong gust of wind and clouds around my head, causing me to start hacking for air.

I jolt back. My body starts to ache as every cell of my being screams in pain. My tears of joy were now gone and were replaced with emptiness and hopelessness. I clutched the top of my shirt as I struggle to breath. "I didn't...I didn't mean to!" I sobbed. "I love you! I wanted to save you! I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" I collapse to my knees as familiar voices fill my thought, making me want to vomit.

"Monster!"

"Go to hell and burn like the demon you are!"

"You disgust me!"

"Die you bitch!

"You're worthless!"

"Hey Kuro!" That voice. It's not familiar. I used the rest of my strength to turn around. A tall woman with long blonde hair stood before me. Her front two bangs were braided and moved towards the back of her head, making a tie. She wore a peach button up long sleeved shirt that was cut off with a long high rise milky white skirt. Her sea blue eyes accented her beauty. The only non-matching thing about her were the Asian style wooden sandals on her feet. "You need to go." She spoke grimly.

I don't know who you are… I'm sorry. A tear road down the woman's pale cheek. Her lips began to quiver.

"They're coming! My mother was right! They're coming all along! I don't want to lose you too!"

I'm sorry. I don't know...please...leave me alone!

* * *

"Oi...wake up…"

I jolt up, causing my head to collide with something hard and fall back down while I massaged my temples. My eyes open to see the raven haired exorcist who was also massaging his head. He wore his black training outfit and beads of sweat were dripping down every visible patch of skin. Time has passed since I fell asleep, according to the array of oranges and yellows the sunset was producing.

"Kanda?!" I shouted. My thoughts fumbled and recollected information about my surroundings. "What are you doing here?" He crossed his arms around his chest

"Che. I was going back in from some training. You were mumbling in your sleep."

"I was? What was I saying?"

"I don't know. Something stupid probably." He spat back.

"You don't have to be an ass every time someone talks to you." I retort. His eyes blew up with anger as expected.

"What are you trying to say, Woman?!"

"What I'm trying to say is that people will like you if you didn't insult them every other sentence! Maybe you can get some friends. Even from the few positive interactions we've had I know that you're a caring person Kanda." His deep sea orbs soften. I always felt like every person has a soft spot, even the people that are as stubborn as a rock. I'll never know what I do to hit his soft spot. He finally sits down next to me in a meditation position.

"I don't need friends." He scoffed.

"Well, what do you fight for?"

"What?"

"Well I do know that Lenalee fights for her family, and Allen fights for his moral beliefs of saving other people. What keeps your body moving?"

"I fight because I'm an exorcist, nothing more, nothing less." I cocked my head to the side and glared at him for lying.

"Come on, if you don't fight to save or protect anything, then why fight?" He ignores my question, making me give up. I lay my head back down on the ticklish strains of grass and sigh. "Never mind. Why am I even lecturing you about the will to fight when I can't even find my own?"

I reach my hands towards the sky once more. This time, the only visible objects in the sky was one massive fluffy static cloud. "I feel like...I can never touch anything or anyone without getting hurt. And every time I do get my hands on something or someone, it just flies away and I'm left broken and feeling devoid of happiness. I know that I'm an exorcist now. But when something is forced inside of me to fill that void, it hurts even more." I take a deep breath in and exhaled, hoping that the wind would carry my worries away.

"Allen and Lenalee seem like nice people, but I'm not willing to get hurt again, whether if it's from our enemy, or they'll turn against me. I know that they're good people. I want to believe that I can trust them. But everyone, just like those clouds, seem far away. Lavi...well he makes me want to vomit. Every time he tries to follow-"

"Wait, the Baka Usagi has been following you?!" Kanda interrupted, with his eyes now wide open and looking into mine. Does he give everyone a strange nickname? I back away from him.

"Y-yea. But this is before you warned me about him. Every time he finds me, he always tries to stay around me for as long as possible and ask questions. I knew that he was trouble to begin with, I've learned that the hard way in the past."

"If that dumbass bothers you again, tell me so I can kick his ass." Something clicked. My oblivious mind exploded. The time he talked to me at the library, when he was flustered this morning about something, everything connected together, forming one question.

"Kanda?"

"What?"

"Do you...like me?"

The air around us became unbreathable. The wind that once combed through both of our locks ceased. All noise stopped. Time collapsed. We both stared into each other's eyes. No answer was given. Not even a noise. I knew what to do during moments like these. I reached my hand out and straightened it towards him.

"Truce as half-friends?" He looks at me as if he saw a ghost.

"What?"

"Well up to now we're always fighting. But as time passes, you seem to be...an ok person I guess…" my face flushes lightly for an unknown reason as I scratch my cheek and look away. "Anyways, since we both don't want friends, can we agree not to argue and still have the benefits of being friends? Like for example, if I were to get hurt on a mission you would tend to my wounds and vice versa? Or to chat like normal people do but without the connection of being a burden. But-"

"Ok! I get it! You want to be friends! Fine!" He then forcefully takes my hand and shakes it vigorously.

"Just...friends? Nothing else?"

"Don't over complicate things! Just be short and simple." He demanded. A soft smile spread over my face as I turn pink once again. A rock was lifted off my chest.

"Ok."

"Why do you blush so much? You look like an idiot right now." He teased. My smile flips.

"Sh-shut up. It's a bad habit. I can't help it. It's just that, with you around, breathing just gets a little easier."

Once again, time stopped. Kanda stares at me with his eyes wide open as if he's seen a ghost. Suddenly, a bright swish of baby blue streaks down in front of us. The next thing I knew, Kanda was on his back arched with his hands on his head.

"Are you ok?" I shot up and moved over to his head. An infant bird had one of its small tan feet tangled in a single strand on his scalp.

"Gah!" He yelled. Kanda frantically threw his arms around. The bird that was now completely tangled between his beautiful black locks. "Stupid bird! I'll cut you up once I rip you out of-"

"Don't hurt the bird!" I yelled. "And stop moving! You're making it worse." Kanda immediately paused and sat back up with his legs crossed and glared at me with annoyance.

"Che. And what are you going to do about it?"

"Just hold still." I moved closer to him and pushed myself up on my knees. Right in front of his bangs was the small baby blue bird which was twitching spastically as it kept calling for its mother. My eyes steer above. The large tree hanging among us had multiple branches, and we just happened to be sitting underneath a nest of eggs.

"Don't move, ok?" I asked. Kanda rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. I moved right in front of his face with my knees to the ground and lifted myself higher to see his scalp. Then, strand by strand, I unwounded the small bird from his hair in silence. His closed eyes show off his luxurious long eyelashes. Sometimes I keep forgetting how handsome this interesting man is. Once finished. I cupped the still twitching bird in between the palms of my hands in front of me.

"All done." He fluttered his eyes opened.

"Che."

"I'll accept that as a 'thank you'." I examined the bird thoroughly. The bird was obviously premature for flying since there were barely any feathers on the wings. I used my thumb and gently petted the infant creature on its small head, calming it down.

"What are you doing" Kanda asked.

"I'm just comforting it."

"Why?"

"After getting hurt, don't you want to be comforted by someone?"

"No."

I sighed. "Well, not everyone is a strong as you Kanda." I stand up and examined the tall oak tree. The trunk took up half of its height with its branches being high up. "Kanda, can you give me a lift?"

"What?" He stands up and raises his eyebrow. "A lift to where?"

"To the branch above us." I pointed to a clump of small twigs that rested between two branches. "I just want to put the baby bird back into the nest."

"No."

"Please? There's no way I can get up there safely."

"That's not my problem."

"Don't friends help each other out?"

"Don't use our agreement just to order me around!" He scoffed back. I crossed my arms around my chest in protest. Taking matters into my own hands, I back away and scanned the remaining area. Although climbing straight up to the branch was impossible at that height, there were other trees I could climb up to get to my destination. I placed the bird in my pants pocket, crouched on the ground and dashed off, running up one of the smaller trees a couple of feet and grabbed onto a branch. As I pulled myself up, I look back at Kanda who was now watching me do my acrobats. I slowly stand up, walked towards the end of that branch and grabbed the branch of another tree.

Branch after branch, my body quickly scaled the oak tree high enough to get to the nest. Inside the bundle of twigs were two other chicks nuzzled between themselves sleeping. I gently placed the sleeping chick next to its siblings. "Good night." I whispered.

My head turns to Kanda who was still staring at my performance as I slowly climb down branch by branch

"I always thought that you were weak." He snorted.

"Back in Greece I needed to learn how to run away from people," I explained, as I grab on the next branch. "I was chased with knives almost every day when I was a kid. It got to the point where I had to climb onto roofs and trees just to avoid getting stabbed. Parkour back then was my 'go to' for when I was in trouble."

"So when you go on your mission tomorrow you're just going to run?" Kanda sarcastically throws back. I roll my eyes.

"I never said that I didn't know how to fight. I may not be trained like a soldier, but I grew up around them. I know how to-" the branch that I was standing on suddenly snapped on me while I'm still high in the air. I brace myself for impact by crouching my legs towards my stomach until I feel warm hands on my back and legs. Kanda was now cradling me princess style.

"Thanks...I guess." No response was given. Almost every moment with him is either awkward, painful or annoying. But the soft moments are worth the wait. He then lowers me to my feet. The breeze hits us hard, causing goosebumps to crawl up my arms and shiver. "Well, I'm sure that it's time to head in and rest before my mission." I try to escape the intense situation and make a run for the door.

* * *

After a long, lonesome and peaceful bath, I stroll down to my room with a set of black lounge clothes on and unlocked the door. The light was still on and Kanda was just lounging on top of the covers with his arms over his head, legs crossed and his eyes closed. His slightly unbuttoned top wrapped around his tight torso as his hair draped around the blankets. Mugen was adjacent to his bed side, ready for use.

I slowly sealed and locked the door behind me, avoiding any kind of sound that could wake him up.

"Don't bother, I'm still awake." He says with his eyes closed. Not only do I have to learn how to share a room with not just a man, but a stubborn mule. I sit on the bed, took half of the pillows on my side and started creating a barrier, splitting the bed in half. "What are you doing Woman?"

"Making a wall of pillows." Once done, he slaps the wall down, destroying my project. "Why did you do that?!" He glared at me and clicked his tongue.

"Don't make me repeat myself." He scowlded. Kanda reached for the brown lamp on his side and flicked the lights off, making the room pitch black. "Don't. Over complicate. Things." I sighed. With his stubborn mind, I don't think he gives a damn whether we share a bed or not. I wouldn't mind sharing a room with a man as long as I trust him to respect my privacy. I pull the covers back and snugged myself between the blanket and the mattress. In between the silence I can hear Kand breathing growing in heaviness as he pushes his back against mine. Somehow, this makes falling asleep faster, forcing me to follow his comforting rhythm and doze off with him.

"Good night." I whispered with a soft smile across my face.

"...be quiet Woman."


	10. First Mission Arc Part One:Walk the Walk

**AN: Hello! This chapter is very long and was extremely difficult to write (It's over 9,400 words). It's not the plot that takes up the time, it's the transitions and the extra details that do. If you have any tips and tricks for this issue please comment them. I'm sorry that this chapter is late. I hope that you understand.**

 **Also,**

 **I haven't written anything in years and I'm just getting back into writing. If you see any errors, please tell me. Criticism is for the writer to improve so that they don't make the same mistakes again. Even if you just have questions or ideas, comment them below. I plan on doing each arc in 3 parts to keep the story moving. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The warmth once pressing against my back and waist leaves me as I flutter my eyes open. Kanda was sitting on the bed facing away from me. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, wishing that I could just go back to my slumber.

"Kanda?" I mumbled, struggling to get my voice ready and sat myself up straight. His hair draped over his shoulders as he began to stand up and remove his shirt. I turned back towards the wall frantically, with the slight urge to watch. "What time is it?"

"Time for us to go on our mission." He answered flatly. _Wait...us?_ I shot up in confusion of his word choice and goggled at him. He was already wearing his red and black exorcist uniform and was tightening his collar. My eyes steered towards the miniature grandfather that clock on the dresser that read 6:45.

"Wait, you're coming on my mission?" He clicked his tongue as he took all of his hair and nearly tied it up in a high ponytail.

"What did I just…" He looks at me with his hard eyes and his expression softens. "Yes. I am. Now get ready. Johnny delivered your uniform already." His hand went into a white plastic bag that was next to a suitcase and tossed a heavy black and red bundle of clothes which landed on my head. Pulling it off and holding it up, heavy boots and black fingerless gloves fell out. The gold buttons on the uniform shined from the glare of the sun.

"Kanda, can you turn around for a moment so I can change?"

"Che. Whatever." His ponytail swayed as he turned around and crossed his arm around his chest. I stripped my old clothes off in exchange for new chest bandages, underwear and a black tank top. Over those I slip and button up the uniform jacket half way and put on the pants.

I eyed myself in the full body mirror that hung up on the wall. The design was a combination of Kanda's and Allen's uniforms. The collar fit snugly around my neck and accented my shoulder blades. The uniform then went down like a normal coat but cut off at the waist. The rest of the top flared out like a trench coat to my knees, meaning that I can button it all the way down if I wanted. The pants were an identically copy of Allen's and were quite comfortable and flexible with the boots on. When slipping on the gloves, it is obvious that part of the material was made out of a leather. The smooth surface glides down my fingers and to my wrists, allowing for comfort and extra movement. There's something about wearing the military-like uniform that gives me a boost in confidence, as if I'm an important person. It's quite enjoyable.

I turned around. Kanda still looking at the wall tapping his foot in a quick rhythm. "I'm done."

"Tch. Hurry it up." He spat. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." I swiftly folded and placed my clothes and necessities on my bed. Opening the suitcase, a black, spiked ball with wings and one bulbous eye popped out and fluttered around my head, resembling a flying sea urchin. My golem looked quite peculiar compared to Allen's with its protruding spikes. Underneath the golem revealed a folded crisp sheet of paper and my trench coat. I opened the note and attempted to read the chicken scratch cursive.

" _Thank you for letting me borrow your trench coat. I know that it's special to you so I took care of it.-Johnny."_

A tender smile spread across my face as I placed my trench coat into a dresser drawer, replaced it with my necessities and the vitamins Komui gave me, ran into our shared bathroom and finished my daily hygiene routine. When done, I walked out with my suitcase in my hand, my golem flapping around and Kanda next to me silent as usual.

While walking side by side, I notice that he towers me by a couple of inches. Even though I'm slightly over average when it comes to the average height of a woman, I still feel small next to him.

"Stop staring at me Woman." He scowled.

"I was staring at you?" _I didn't even notice that I was looking at him for that long._

"Yes. And it's annoying."

"If we're sharing a room, you could at least call me by my name." I asked assertively. But his attitude still stayed the same.

"Che. Whatever. I'll call you by your name if you survive this mission."

A sly smile spreads across my face. "Deal."

* * *

When entering Komui's office, Allen, who was already sitting down turned his head and greeted us with a smile. "Good morning Kuro."

"Hi Allen," I waved. Kanda and I both sat on the red sofa while Komui's head rested on his piles of paperwork with his arms spread out on the desk. The Chief's glasses were quickly slipping towards the ground, but before they fell off he pushed them back up and lifted his face, revealing gray bags underneath his eyes. Clearly, this man needed some sleep.

"Good morning Kuro, Kanda," he mumbled, raising his head up while wiping the drool off his face. "Is he here yet?"

"No, he's late again" Allen sighed.

Komui stretched his arms back and yawned, still struggling to get his mind moving. "He's probably busy finishing up a report or something. I'll start the mission briefing." The Chief finally pushed his back up straight and combed his ruffled hair, giving him a more official appearance. "The four of you are to go to Perm, Russia. According to multiple recent reports, there has been an increase in gang and criminal activities in the town's mining area. It got so bad that the city was forced to postpone all projects underground."

"Che. How annoying."

"But Komui, isn't that something the police would handle?" Allen asked. "Why send us to fix their crime issues?"

"It's because there's a rumor going around in the town about a gem that could turn any object it touched into gold. It's obvious that there's innocence involved. The boat should already be ready to set sail. Be safe you guys." The three of us quietly got up and made our way towards the door. "Kuro, I almost forgot."

"Yes?" He gets up and hands me a navy blue leather book with the title 'Chemistry, Volume II' that was the size of my hand. "Why are you giving me a chemistry book?"

"Remember what your innocence is Kuro." He rubs his hands together as his glasses tint like the mad scientist he is. "Think about all of the possibilities that are literally at the palm of your hands. I feel like with your background you could skip the first volume, but if this book is too complicated for you I can always give you the first one."

"Alright." I responded as I followed behind Kanda out the door.

The faire was quite large for a small 30 minute trip off the island. Us three exorcists walk along the deck and step onto the metal boat. Between the deck and the boat was a large gap big enough for someone to fall through. Kanda and Allen both skipped across the gap. The British exorcist offered his hand to help he get across but I refused. "Thanks, but I'm sure that I can get across myself." I hop over the gap and brushed my pants off. Allen gives me a puzzled look which I just ignore.

The echoes of someone's boots clank through the tunnel we came from. Was this the person that was also coming along with us? "Sorry that I'm late." A familiar snarky, upbeat voice came from behind me. At this point I could already recognize this voice, and I wish I didn't. I lean my head back. Damn it.

Lavi was standing behind me wearing his cheeky signature smile and attire that was similar to mine.

He's an exorcist.

Which means I'll have to work with him

"Looking good in that uniform Kuro!" He gave me a thumbs up. This will be a long and tiresome mission.

* * *

After a nauseating boat ride with Lavi chatting to Allen nonstop, all four of us finally reach the train station. One of the attendants showed us to a claustrophobic first class compartment. I was fortunate enough to walk in first and sit right next to the window. However, my luck ran out once a Lavi came in right after and sat right next to me and grins. Allen took a seat right in front of me. Kanda strolled it and eyes everyone in the room, but he points daggers directly at Lavi, who still had that smirk spread across his cheeks. The raven haired man clicked his tongue and sat next to Allen as the train began to move.

Time crawled by with Lavi once again rambling about his adventures to Allen, who was already nodding his head, trying to stay awake. Does this redhead ever shut up? I glanced over to Kanda, who had his eyes shut with his legs crossed. His expression seems relaxed, as if he's sleeping, but based off experience, I'm pretty sure he's just wide awake and trying to deal with his situation.

"Ku?" Lavi spoke up.

"My name's not Ku."

"How old are you?"

"That's none of your business."

The redhead puffs his cheeks and pouts like a child. "We'll be working together so we might as well get to know each other." He smirks with that cunning great eye of his. No matter what I do, he'll keep asking until I give an answer won't he? I decided to give in.

"I'm 18."

"I'm only older than you by a year then. Which still leaves little Moyashi over here the youngest!" Lavi snickered, ticking Allen off.

"Although I'm older than you when it comes to maturity" the albino retorts. The two boys go back and forth heckling while Kanda and I sit here silently.

I decided to follow in Kanda's footsteps in attempt to escape any confrontation with Lavi and to past time. I whip out the chemistry book out of my coat pocket Komui gave to me and started reading the various amounts of information. Some of the words and phrases they use are very familiar to me because of my blacksmith background like alloys and bonding. Everything else is new to me and is beyond my caliber. I flip through pages of formulas, detailed diagrams, explanations, theories and observations.

I turn one page over and a piece of paper fell onto my lap. Printed on the bookmarked page was a list of chemicals that had multiple symbols adjacent to them. All of the chemicals shared a similar symbol, a black and white fire inside of a triangle. Below the triangle read "very flammable."

"Alcohol. Color: None. Odor: slight. Flammability: ¾ Very flammable."

"Methane. Color: none. Odor: Reminiscent of spoiled eggs. Flammability: 4/4 Explosive."

"Carbon Monoxide. Color: none. Odor: none. Flammability: 4/4 Very flammable."

Komui must've saved this page just for me for some unknown reason. The list went on for a few pages with each chemical getting more difficult to pronounce as the list goes on. I struggle to pronounce each segment in my head with breaks in between.

"Ceri-um cadmium, Pho-spho-molybdic acid...Hex-a-de-cacarbonyl-hex-" I use my two hands and shut the book close simultaneously. Never again. This science thing might just not be for me.

"Ku," Lavi spoke up once again and nudged my shoulder as both he and Allen were looking at me.

"My name's Kuro."

"You're a girl, you know what's right here! Whose side do you pick?" I raised an eyebrow in confusion of what he was asking. The redhead looks at me with slight disgust. "You mean you weren't listening this whole time?"

"No, I was _totally_ listing to your _very interesting_ adventure to wherever." I threw back sarcastically with little care in the world.

"Well let me tell you the situation again."

"There's no need."

"So back in Switzerland," he ignored. I rolled my eyes and placed my elbow against the window ceil. _This will be a long ride._ "Allen and I were on a mission. There was no one else. Just us two guys. It was just to kill a few akuma, so it was an easy task. After the mission, we missed the last train ride back home and the next train wouldn't arrive until the day after. So we stayed at a local inn. The inn was cozy and beautiful, but not as beautiful as the owner's daughter! Her slim face and her golden wavy hair was to die for! Right in my 'Strike' zone too! I was starting to get chummy with her, but it was obvious that she had a thing for Allen and was gushing over him the whole time!"

"Get back to the topic at hand!" Allen fussed with his cheeks red.

"Luckily, the inn had two separate single rooms, so we each got our own. But late that night, the girl knocked on his door wearing her night clothes and asked if she could come in so that they could chat. And he said no!"

"Lavi," Allen sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "I would never invite a woman into my bedroom ESPECIALLY at night."

"Why not? I would have. It would've been a friendly midnight conversation! Nothing romantic would've happened. At most, she might've confessed her love to you."

"Don't act like nothing weird wouldn't have happened!"

"Which is why I'm not asking the gullible little kid that's in front of me! Kuro, what would have you done if you were Allen?"

I struggle and took some thought into his question to please his childish tendencies. I glance around the room, looking at the fellow three male exorcists. There's Allen, who I thought was a sweet and innocent, but instead he's just as dirty minded as any 16 year old hidden behind the mask of a gentleman. Lavi, whose most likely around my age and had a sly risqué sense of humor that could not be determined if he was serious or not. My eyes go towards Kanda, who was still in the same position and was able to ignore the conversation. He's cold, direct, insensitive, rude, and ill-tempered but has a soft side that cannot be comprehended. My eyes go back to the red and white duo for my answer.

"Depends on the person." I responded.

"What do you mean?" Lavi tried to pry for answers. At this point I play his game so that I can be left alone.

"It depends on who standing at my door and how much I can trust them. If I don't know them well enough, I would've said no."

"What If I'm at your door?" The redhead points towards himself with a goofy smile.

"There's no way in hell that I'll let you in Lavi." I roll my eyes. Lavi begins to pry even further into my thought on the matter.

"Ok, then what about Allen?"

"Lavi don't bring me into this!"

"Sure." Kanda's eyes spread open as all three of them stare at me in shock. Allen's face flushes slightly as Lavi smirks at him. Kanda on the other hand, glared at me as if I committed a crime. "I trust Allen enough to share a room with him."

The white haired exorcist scratched his head as his silver pupils aim towards the ground to avoid eye contact. "Thank you?"

"Aww does the little Moyashi have a crush on-"

"No I don't Lavi." Allen instantly shoot back. Their insults and chat boomerang every few minutes, sometimes at spastic intervals. Not paying attention to everyone around me, I opened the book back up and stared at the pages filled with formulas while the two boys horsed around. After a while, their bickering started to wear me out. I stood up and went to the door. "I need some fresh air."

* * *

I moved to the back of the train and went outside onto the platform to just stand and enjoy the passing scenery. Each few minutes that past, the temperature dropped slightly, signaling that we are getting closer to our destination. The breeze gently combs through each strand of my hair. This atmosphere...it reminds me of when I first came to the Order, the painful ride to what I thought was going to be a hell hole. Now the Order feels like a mansion where everyone hides deep secretes under happy go lucky masks.

"Oi," I turn around to see my raven haired roommate leaning on the train's door. His scowl appeared to be twitching in annoyance. "You can't even follow simple directions?" He raised his voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought I told you to avoid him!

Realizing the fact that he's referring to Lavi, I stood up and sighed. "Kanda, I hate him too, but what the hell was I supposed to do? If I didn't say anything he would've kept asking me useless details about myself throughout the day!"

"Then just ignore him!"

"Then what am I supposed to do if we're on missions?!"

"Just-agh!"He then stomped towards me with. Naturally, I put my fists up in defense, expecting him to hit me. But instead, I was taken aback. Kanda's chest was on mine. His rhythmic heartbeat was almost soothing in an indescribable way. The embrace was melting as his arms locked around my back, making it almost impossible to move. The heat radiating from his body was gentle, and oh so satisfying. One of his hands went up to my my scalp, clenching my ruby locks.

"Listen to me," Kanda struggled to keep his voice low. "We're on a mission, but no matter where you go, _NEVER_ be alone with him. He cannot know anything about you. He's not connected to central in any way, but..." His last words trembled along with his grip. "I..I don't want…" Kanda's voices flies away with the wind. His lips still moved, but not a single word could be heard.

I wrap my arms around him. I want to ask him why he's acting like this, but I want to savor the moment. Moments like these are what keeps me moving.

"Hey Kanda?"

"...Hmm?"

"Whenever I'm next to you, you're always so warm. It's...nice."

"...Whatever you say."

* * *

The four of us finally reached Perm, Russia. The streets were flooded with locals, tourists, salesmen and food stalls. Lavi was forced to tug Allen along like a parent as he craved to go to each stall with its monstrous growling stomach. Our group walked to the nearest inn and accepted the last two rooms they had. The three boys shared one room while I had the room to myself. The decor of the room was dull, but simple and minimalist consisting of a bed with a blue comforter, one spruce lamp, a spruce dresser, a mirror, a single person bathroom and a balcony. The simplicity doesn't matter to me. As long as I have a bed, this room will suffice.

"Kuro," I hear Allen call for me outside in the hallway as I unpack my belongings and place them on the dresser. "Come out so we can plan what our next move is." I exit my doorway to spot the three of them lounging in the lobby surrounding a coffee table. I take a seat as well.

"So how does this work?" I question as I cross my legs crossed.

"Usually we go out and around the town and look for any signs of abnormality in the town." Lavi explained. "Abnormality usually means that innocence is near. But since our mission briefing gave us enough information, I think I know where to go." The redhead takes one of the tourist brochures on the table and flips to a page with a map showing popular locations and local areas. "If the innocence we're looking for has to do with mine shafts and gang culture, then chances are that the information we're looking for are at these two places," his index finger points to two places called 'District 9' and 'District 4'. "District 9 is right next to the entrance to the mining caverns. District 4 is full of taverns, brothels and pubs. I can only assume that's their 'Red Light' district."

"It's best that we split into two groups to get more coverage." Allen added. Two groups of two appears to be the best way to get as much coverage as possible without losing someone. Kanda stands up from his seat.

"Kuro and I will go to District 4. You and Moyashi will go to District 9."

"My name's Allen!"

"Aww looks like Yu wants to spend time with his girlfriend." Lavi teased, making my cheeks grow in hue. Both of us fall right into his trap.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I yell.

"She's not my girlfriend" Kanda growls in unison with me as he snatches his sword. "And call me Yu one more and I'll slice y-"

I reach my arm out to stop the furious exorcist and looked at him straight into the eye. "Don't bother Kanda. He wants us to get angry for his entertainment. Just sit back down." Lavi And Allen gawked at me as I played with Kanda's hell of a personality. He finally sits back down in disagreement, closed his eyes and crosses his legs. With this silence, I decided to input some of my opinion on the plan.

"Wouldn't it be better if I go to District 4?" All eyebrows furrowed and eyes went to me as all of them said 'No in unison'

"Are you crazy?!" Lavi spew. "You're going into a place full of gangs and where human trafficking is the norm! That's the last place a woman wants to be!"

"But wouldn't they negotiate information if one of you guys have a woman with you?" I countered back. "Besides, I've walked around areas like this back when I was at home. Each country has their own, but the same rules apply."

The redhead placed the middle area of his thumb and index finger between his chin. Kanda glared into me along with Allen. Although the idea was terrible, they knew that I was right.

The white haired exorcists finally nodded and stood up. "I hate to admit it, but Kuro's right. And I'm pretty sure that it's best that I went with her. I always ended up at these kinds of places with my master, so I know what I'm doing as well.

"Good. Yu, you can come with me to District 9"

"Che whatever." All four of us exit and go separate way with our partners as Allen and I finally start our adventure to the red light district.

* * *

The once cheerful and advertising ambiance slowly disappeared as we went deeper into the Red Light District. Large vibrant building became old and torn with older men in the back alleys wielding knives and exchanging strange paper bags. One thing that stuck out was the amount of rings the men had all across their hands. Some of them had two whole fingers covered with golden rings while others only had a ring on each finger. With our oddly colored hair, uniforms and Allen's golem flapping around, us two kid stuck out as sore thumbs. I decided to keep my golem in my jacket pocket in attempt to stop it from moving so much and draw even more attention. Between us, although both of our mouths were shut, Allen's stomach did the talking the whole time.

"Kuro," Allen muttered. "Why isn't there anything to eat so far? Where are the stalls?…" I sighed as my shoulders and head go slack.

"Don't talk like you're the only one that's starving too," I place my hand on my cramping stomach. "There's no stalls because no one wants to sell anything on the street on this side of town. All of the business is where tourists are. No tourist wants to be on this side of town other than us-" I swift my head around to see that the albino boy was missing. _Damnit._ I frantically turn around to get a full fire off the area. I spot Allen, who was salivating with his hands and face mushed on the glass looking at the dinner showcase in a building. The exterior was a grimy pink with moldy bricks, but the signs plastered on the side of the wall had neat untampered silhouettes of women in various risqué poses above the name 'Andrei's shack'. A tall lanky man wearing a tuxedo with small pink flyers in his hand wrapped his arm around the kid.

"Hey kiddo!" He smirked. "You're seem like a real lady's man. Really! I mean it! You're a bit too young to enter this place, BUT! I can make a deal! A good deal! Real good! You see the meals here aren't the main attraction here! People don't come for the food, they come for the chicks! The food, although good, is just a plus! So," He then forcefully opens Allen's hand and places a coupon. "This coupon I only give out to potential customers. It's make it so that the grub here is free! You just pay for the room! That's a d-"

Before he could finish his pitch I grab Allen's hand and locked his fingers around mine. "Sorry. He's with me." And paced away with him hoping that the man didn't

"Kuro, I'm not as gullible as you think," Allen spoke. "I didn't want to interrupt the guy."

"If I didn't intervene then he would've coaxed you into entering. Then, you would have been forced to pay once you get in." I explained. "You need to be more aggressive."

"Fine, but you can release my hand. I'm not going to run off anymore." I quickly took back my hand and rubbed it with embarrassment.

"Sorry. I forgot."

"It's fine. You kind of remind me of a mother. You're really only aggressive when you need to be."

"Really?" I look away and raised my hand to my neck. "I'm not too sure whether or not I should accept that as a compliment."

"It's a compliment. You seem to make sure everyone around you is ok. Maybe that's how you were able to tame Kanda."

"Tame?" I giggled lightly. "I wouldn't say that I 'tamed' him. I just try to adapt to his aggressive style."

"I have noticed that Kanda asks different around you." He smiles.

"Wait, how do you know? I don't think you've been with me and Kanda since we were in Greece?"

"Yesterday while I was walking past, I saw you and him together outside. I could've sworn you were with a different p-."

Suddenly, Allen halted as his face lit up. "What's wrong, Al-" before I could finish, a small hand grasp my back pants pocket, making me shiver. A short boy wearing dusty brown pants with a matching cap, an open emerald vest and a dress shirt then falls over along with a basket of wrapped triangle shaped goods. His left hand had three golden rings on each fingers similar to everyone else here.

"Ow," he rubbed his waist. I witnessed the kid slip something brown in his pocket.

"Are you ok?" Allen asked as he started picking up the wrapped goods. I decide to help. Each item seeped a comforting warmth and smelled delicious.

"Yea, I think so." The small boy gets up, takes the basket from Allen and smiles. "Thank you pretty lady and mister, why don't you have a free Reuben sandwich?" Allen's eyes widen as he grabs the sandwich from his hand, rips the wrapper away and gobbles his meal down. I on the other hand grab his hand along with the sand which. His eyes start to furrow as I just give him a bright smile. "You can let go now pretty lady."

I slip the sandwich away from him. "Sorry, I just didn't want you to drop it again."

He gives me a funny look and begins to run off. "Those sandwiches are from my dad's shop! A few blocks behind you! Stop by ok?" We wave him as he turns the corner and disappears, but my mind was on something else.

"Allen, check your back pocket right now." I demanded. He raised his eyebrow and followed my instructions. Allen went from confused to fluster as he patted himself down and looked around. Once he realized what happened, he scowled.

"Why?!" He yelled as he kicked the dirt on the ground. "That stupid kid stole my wallet!" I pat his shoulder in reassurance, because that kid wasn't the only one who had tricks up their sleeves.

"Don't worry. We'll find him."

"How?"

"Because," I showed him the gold ring the boy was once wearing. "I took this."

He suspiciously eyed me down with disappointment. "Isn't that the ring the kid was wearing?"

"Yes."

"Kuro! You can't steal from people!" He yelled. "We're not here to be thieves!"

"Don't worry! I knew that he stole your wallet beforehand! It's the oldest trick in the book. Grope someone from behind, trip, and say it was an accident and run away! That's why I don't keep my wallet in my pants pocket. You need to adjust to your environment Allen. " His eyes were still piercing through my soul, as if he knew better than me.

"I'm still disappointed in you."

He's scolding me like a child, as if he knows how this world works. I shrugged my arms and gave him a cocky smile. "I would be too. You get used to it though." Allen's expression dives after my grim statement, making the upbeat mood dispense. I quickly sense this and try to get back to the topic at hand.

"And besides, didn't you noticed the amount of rings he had on his hand?"

Allen finally dropped his anger towards me and scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, his hand did have three rings on each finger. Why's that?"

"I think it's because he's a part of a gang."

"Don't you think that's quite a big leap?" He questioned.

"Think about it. Each culture has different ways of telling people what group they belong to. In some places its tattoos, others bandanas, and once we entered this District, people were wearing various amounts of rings."

"That makes sense. But where do we start?"

"I have no clue."

"Didn't the boy say that his father ran a business somewhere?" Allen unraveled his crinkled sandwich wrapper. Inside was white and labeled with multiple prints reading 'Andrei's Shack'.

Allen and I both looked at each other with the wrapper shaking in his hand.

"Wasn't that the place we just past with the salesman?" He shyly asked. I sadly nodded my head. "Which means…

"We'll have to go into that brothel."

* * *

The brothel welcomed us with the stench of cigarettes, booze and pungent cologne mixed together, making me want to vomit. The walls were covered with large black hearts with a red background.

A blonde woman with loose curls dressed wearing bunny ears, a corset that only covered her waist, and high heels pranced in front of us. The only thing that censored her were two small red heart pasties over each of her large breast and matching red lace panties. Even for me, a straight person of the same sex, this was too much. I struggle to hold a straight face and gulped down my urge to blush and flee this morbid whore house. I watched Allen's face turn a whole new shade as he covered his nose with his hand. The bottom of his glove started to turn pink.

The blonde woman smirked at Allen's reaction, bent down and stroked his chin up using her red fingernails. "Aren't you a cutie? Kids like you shouldn't be in here, but I'm low on cash right now."

Allen started shivering harder and harder. "W-w-we ha-ave a-a c-co…" he stutters. All the color in his face immediately drains out as beads of sweat started to hurdle down his pale forehead.

"We have a coupon for this place ma'am." I cut him short with a monotone voice and pulled out the pink coupon. She takes it, examines the fine print thoroughly and lowers her head.

"It looks like I won't be getting any tips today. Alright you two, follow me." We were led into one of their small rooms with a booth. The woman placed two menus on the table for us. "A waiter will be with you shortly."

As she walks away, Allen is still looking at the floor flustered. I stomp on his foot in attempt to wake him out of his episode. "Allen! Get a hold of yourself! I thought you went into places like these when you were with your master!"

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting THIS. I've never been inside one of these places before! He always went into bars!"

"Me neither but just calm down and play along! I feel uncomfortable too! But they wouldn't give information to two shivering kids!"

A long haired brunette woman showed up also wearing bunny ears. Her attire consisted of a maid outfit that covered almost everything up, which was easier on both of our eyes. "How can I help you two?"

I decided to take on the responsibility of the exchange and spoke up. "Actually we don't want to order anything, we just want to see the owner, Mr. Andrei. I think we found something of his." I dig into my pocket and hold up the gold ring. The woman crouches down and eyes the articles and attempts to snatch it with no avail. My reflexes were faster than here's as I pulled the ring back into my pocket and smirked. "I want to give this back to him after I talk to him."

Her pink lips turned upside down as she grits her teeth and turned around. "Follow me."

We are led to a wooden bar table, with a bald bulky man wearing a black shirt cleaning various sized cups and shot glasses. All of his left fingers, like his son, had three rings on his hairy gigantic hands. He turns around and smirks at the two children in front of him. "Hey. The name's Andrei. One of my girls said that you wanted to give me something." The man reeked of tobacco, perfume and booze, almost making me gag and release the food I just ate. Allen on the other hand, seemed to be unaffected by the smell and sat on one of the stools with the best poker face I've seen him have all day.

"Yes, we do have something for you," He said monotone, giving Andrei a sly 'innocent boy' smile. He tapped my leg signaling me to pass him the ring and held the jewelry up between his two fingers. "Your son dropped this when we met him. I'll trade you this for some information. is that good?" Although he gets flustered when he sees a naked woman, this kid knows how to play with what's given to him.

Andrei heckles at Allen's attempt to act smooth and grins. "Those rings can easily be replaced kiddo. Nice try. I notice Allen's poker face slowly drops to a frown. I try to back him up as I took my wallet out and placed some money on the counter and smirked. Two can play the game. "That might be enough to get you some answers. Now what do you want to know?"

"According to some rumors that have been going around, a lot of gangs have been taking control of the mines around here." I asked. "Why is that?"

"It's because everyone is trying to get their hands on the Golden Gem of Pleasure."

"The Golden Gem of Pleasure?" Allen questioned.

"Yup. A couple months back, according to by standing miners, the Gem proved its worth by transforming surrounding ordinary rock into gold when one of their colleges attempted to collect it. This only happened once and no one knows how to do it again, but just the thought of having the chance to create an infinite amount of treasure was enough to create some chaos."

"That makes sense. Care to elaborate more on this gem?" I tease, trickling my fingers on the table. Andrei clicked his tongue and crossed his bulky arms across his chest. I glanced at Allen, who was still doing an excellent job holding up his mask. I placed more money on the bar table, hoping for Andrei's expression to change.

"I've never seen the gem in person, nor have I seen its miracles. However, I do know that gangs constantly fight for the territory." A smirk reigned soon his face. "If you two kids plan on going on their turf and getting it yourselves then I suggest you plan your funeral now because there's no way in hell you'll come back alive, especially you girly. I a firm believer that no woman should die a virgin." as his disgusting hands were about touch my chin Allen's reflexes were too slow, for he was already holding his broken nose due to my punch. Andrei's back collided with the rack of alcohol behind him, creating a mess of shattered glass pieces and booze on the wooden floor. Everything on the shelf was destroyed.

I cracked my knuckles and pierced his eyes with mine. "We came here for information, nothing more, and nothing less. Let's go Allen." I slammed the ring onto the bar counter and the two of us walked out the brothel with what we came for. But right before we shut the door on our way out, Andrei decided that he wanted to have the last word.

"You'll regret messing with me and destroying my business kids!"

* * *

As we strolled out, I could sense Allen's eyes piercing into the back of my skull. "What did I do now?" I sassed.

"You could've been a bit gentler with him." He scolded.

"Oh yea? What were you about to do back there?"

"Grab his hand."

"And then what?"

"Hopefully I wouldn't need to do anything afterwards." I scoffed at his statement. Allen said that he had a history of being around these areas, but he sure doesn't act like it. With his fluffy bleach hair, soft heart, along with his pale skin, he could easily be mistaken as a-

"Marshmallow." I accidentally spoke. Allen raises his eyebrow as expected.

"Marshmallow? What are you talking about?" I moved my arm, blocking his path, turned around and clapped my hands around his face, making his cheeks puff up. "Kuro, what are you doing?" He mumbles.

"You are a marshmallow Allen." My face was straight as I stared into his silver orbs. "You're too soft. Sometimes you need to be aggressive to get what you want. You're going to be taken advantage of someday if you don't demand what you want." I release his cheeks, leaving pink hand print marks on each side as he rubs them.

"You still didn't have to be so rough."

"Shut up." I punched his shoulder lightly, causing Allen to rub his arm.

I think our work here in District 4 is done.

* * *

Allen and I enter the hotel and knock on Lavi's shared room to see Lavi covered with dust and grime sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Welcome back you two." Lavi greets. His emerald eyes goes straight to me as he smirks. I on the other hand, am not in the mood for his little gimmicks. I silently sit down on the spare bed. A bundle of clothes were sitting on one of the pillows poking at my curiosity.

"Lavi, why are you covered in dirt?" Allen asks with him following behind me. "And where's Kanda."

"We were in the mines earlier, and we got a pretty solid amount of information." Yu's taking a bath right now. Come sit, stay for a while because we got a ton of useful information." Allen plopped down next to me, facing Lavi. "What information did you guys get first?"

"The innocence is called The Gem of Pleasure," Allen stated. I decided to be passive about this, since what I had to say would offer nothing to the table. "The Gem's located in the northern mines but apparently, like Komui said, there are a tons of gangs surround the area."

Lavi raised his eyebrow. "That's funny, because from one of the former miners, Yu and I were told that the gem was down south. Where did you get this information from?"

"A bro-"

"Some shady place." I interrupted Allen before anything else came out. I know damn well that Lavi would bother me the whole train ride back if he found out that we went to a brothel for potentially false info. Allen shows me the most confused look a person could ever give which then flips to an apologetic smile.

"Well we can always check both locations." Lavi suggests as he leans back and lands on his bed. "But its best if we wait until tomorrow morning, the sun's setting and dealing with the thugs underground is not our problem."

Allen's stomach joins the conversation once again making Lavi giggle. "Why don't we feed our little Moyashi first? And we can go to sleep."

"My name is Allen You idiot!" He shouts with a scowl.

I placed my hand over my stomach as it begins to cramp up as well. "Why don't we have dinner at the diner across the street?"

Allen's stomach answers once again. "I'm in on this plan."

Lavi smirked and dashed to the bathroom door and slams it open. "Yu! We're going to go and eat soon! Move faster so I can bathe too!"

"Call me Yu one more time and I'll have your head!"

After the four of us get situated, we went to Alexandra's diner. Allen ordered basically one of everything on the menu. Lavi and Allen chatted as usual while I watched them as I ate a Russian styled fish pie. My appetite won't grow enough to eat as much as Allen for some strange reason. It's as if the innocence refuses to cooperate with its own accommodator. I've never used it at its full strength since Greece. Even with the pills Komui gave me I'm somewhat worried.

Kanda sat silently and ate a noodle dish he ordered called 'Stroganoff'. He separated all of the mushroom, onion and beef strip toppings and slurped the egg noodles. For some reason, this picks at me for some time. Maybe this was just out of habit from taking care of my brother? I summon the courage to say something.

"Kanda."

He pauses right before he takes a bite from his fork. "What?"

"Why are you eating just the noodles? You need to eat the meat and vegetables too."

"That's none of your damn business." He scoffs and takes a bite.

"I don't think his taste buds are developed enough to eat complex foods like steak." Allen teases.

Lavi grins and decides to join. "Usually Yu only eats soba noodles back at headquarters. Some people even call him 'Soba Man'!"

Kanda reaches out and gets ready to unsheathe his katana with food still in his mouth. "Bastard Usagi, do you want to die?" His face is filled with anger as usual. When he turns around and I see his full face I struggle to hold back a laughing fit. I start giggling while the three boys stare at me with full confusion. "What, Woman?"

"Kanda," I slur as I calm myself down. "You look kind of funny with strands of noodles from your mouth." Kanda quickly slurped the rest of his bite, causing sauce to splatter on his noses day cheeks. "You even have food on your nose." I grabbed the napkin on my table and dabbed his face, cleansing it from any trace of food. He stood still during those five previous seconds, but after I removed the napkin, his face turned red as a vein bulged out of his forehead. I turned to the dark orange and cloud white duo, whose mouths have dropped. "What's wrong you guys?"

"I told you that Yu and Kuro are going out!" Lavi shouted and pointed at us, drawing a crowd. My face lights up at his foolish decoration.

"We are not dating!" I yelled! "I just wiped his face off! What's wrong with that?"

"I will kill you now! Kanda jumped up from his seat ready to attack while Allen and I struggle to restrain his monstrous strength.

After calming down, the four of us dined. Laughter, stories and remarks were thrown all around and somehow we managed not to get kicked out of the restaurant. Once we headed back to our rooms, I stripped off my clothes, bathed with their hot soothing water, cleaned myself up, took one of Komui's vitamins, flopped onto the bed and quickly dozed off.

* * *

"You're hurt aren't you?"

 _What?_

"Both sides are after you. Everyone is your enemy. It's too late for us! Run! Leave!"

 _What are you talking about?_

"Ahhhh!"

"Help me!"

"Don't hurt my daughter please!"

"Kuro, remember that I'll always love you."

* * *

I jolt up covered in sweat from head to toe struggling to breathe. This time, they were just voices. Screams, wails for help, warnings, and...A love message? Nothing is making any sense. I push my hair back with my fingers and exhaled. Maybe I need some fresh air?

I slip on my exorcist coat and walked outside of the small inn. This area, compared to District 4, is luxurious. The streets were vacant with not a single living creature around to make a noise. There were no traces of tumbling plastic bags cups, wrinkled paper cigarette buds. The chill drove pass and numbed my cheeks, nose and ears with little needles poking into each pore. Although uncomfortable, the pain keeps my mind off of the nightmare I just had.

They're coming more often than usual. I've never had reoccurring dreams before I activated my innocence, why now?

My mind becomes a nomad and wanders with the crisp breeze. A white puffy cloud glides through the sky.

Allen.

The way that Allen is now with Lavi could not represent the calm, polite and reassuring Allen back in Greece. I only assume that it's because he's good friends with the redhead. But why? Have I've looking too deep into Lavi's friendly approach? What am I seeing that Allen isn't? Without Kanda's advice, I know to steer away from him. His glossy prying eye and cloudy smile is like a wolf in sheep's clothing. But the more I see him casually laughing with Allen, the more I start to doubt myself. Do I really desire friends? Kanda's stubborn, aggressive and abusive approach to me as a friend can be dealt with. Besides, during those rare blue moon moments, the way he comforts me and shows passion is satisfying enough. _His warm touch, it makes my heart want to explode_. But the fact that he's so aggressive to everyone else, except me is quite suspicious. What did I do to earn such kindness?

"Can't sleep either?" I jump back into a fighting stance to see the redhead idiot standing there with a long sleeved dark green shirt and black pants grinning. His bandana was missing, allowing his untamable hair to relax onto his face, giving him a mature appearance. My stance loosen from the lack of danger there was.

"It's just you."

"You make it seem like you were expecting someone else." He joked, catching up to me.

Recalling Kanda's advice, I swiftly turned around. "Sorry I'm just about to head back in."

"Can't you trust us a little bit more?" I ignore his question and start pacing down the block. "We're a team! How do you expect to make friends with your teammates if you can't relax around them? I'm just trying to be your friend!" I paused at his words and clenched my hand into a fist.

"Lavi. Why are you following me?"

"It's because I just want to get to know you mo-"

"Cut the shit Lavi." I turn around and glare into his emerald eye. _They're the same as always. Glossy and empty._ "I don't know what you want with me, but only a lunatic would stalk someone around like this. You keep going on and on about 'being friends', but you go out of your way just to peek into my head. Every damn time. Now, what do you REALLY want from me? Because if it's nothing, then go back into your hotel room and let me be."

My rant must've triggered a switch, because Lavi left me. The person standing in front of me threw away his signature grin and smiled. It wasn't a smile that I was familiar with, but a slick, selfish, sickening smile. As I was frozen in place, 'Lavi' went behind me and leaned all of his weight on my back. His arm rested around my shoulder and his chin weighed down on the other side. My heart flees at Mach 2. I want to run. No. I need to run. But I want answers. And if I flee I know that I won't get any.

"I knew the 'Lavi' act wouldn't fool you." I can hear the purr in his soft, quiet voice. The vibration from his diaphragm move up to his chest and out his mouth. "Well, I guess you can call it love at first sight."

"W-w-what do you mean?" I tremble. My shoes were sinking into the ground, disabling movement

"Your red hair and bright yellow eyes. They're an interesting sight in the eyes of a Bookman." This sparks my curiously. _Bookmen...bookmen...where have I heard of that word before? Wasn't the old man back at the library called 'Bookman'? That makes sense since he's Lavi's successor._

"...what are bookmen?" I muttered quietly.

"Bookmen are neutral bystanders to record old, lost and present events. We watch and take note of everything of significance." His fingers trickle to my hip and grabs it, digging his nails into my shirt. "So, Bringer of Conflict and Destruction, have you heard of the story of Noah's Ark?"

Why does he know my prophecy? How much does that bastard know? But if I ask something like that I won't get any answers. Instead, I follow along. "Isn't it about a guy that created an ark to survive a massive flood years ago?"

"Not quite, but it seems like you get the idea. We are not just up against the Earl, but a group of people called the 'Noah Clan'. The Clan, the Earl and all of the akuma makes up our foe."

"What does that have to do with me? Just get to the point."

"One of the physical traits everyone in the Noah clan has is that they have unusual golden eyes." The connections he was making made sense, but also disturbing. I use my foot and forcefully tripped him, making him lose his balance and letting me go as I back away.

"Are you accusing me of being with the enemy?! How _dare_ you!" Lavi straighten his back and faced me, finally getting a glimpse of the cunning eye he has.

"You're just assuming things now Ku." he sighed.

"Call me that one more time and I will cut you down along with your fucking ego."

"Why are you getting feisty now? I'm just stating solid facts. Or are you just used to running away from reality? Running away from who you are."

I get ready to run but I plant my boots into the ground. If I were to run away from the situation, all I would be doing is proving him right. I grit my teeth together and look away in shame. "If I'm supposedly with the enemy, why don't you kill me right now?" I spread my arm out as if I'm accepting a hug. "Turn into a hero back at Headquarters and slay this monster."

"Because you're not." He declared. My arms drop to my side. "I'm no hero, I'm just an observer. Besides, you wouldn't be here if Hevalaska didn't give you a prophecy or synchronization rate. Which is what I'm trying to figure out by orders from Gramps to record your past. After the Noah clan disappeared after the flood, a large chunk of history was destroyed, and it's my job as the future successor to snatch and record it. And in this case, I'm desperate for this info. Allen can only give so much to the table. Once Central decided to stop motoring him. But with you coming into the picture, getting the information will be a lot easier."

"Well forget it because I have nothing to give to you."

"Look, I know that you're hiding something from me Kuro. Something that even the Order doesn't know. I don't want to forcefully get what I want, but if all means necessary, I will."

"You say that like you have power over me." I smirked. "Do you really believe that? Or are you pulling off another one of your acts? You can't tell anymore, can you?"

I flipped his switch. I didn't have enough time to react. Both of my hands were strangled behind my back tightly as 'Lavi' griped then together using one hand while pressed up against his chest. In attempt to fight back, I try to kick his leg across to trip him and failed. My arm begins to cramp as he slowly pushed me up against the wall of a brick building and dragged me down to my knees and enclaves me with his body.

 _I'm too weak. I'm never strong enough, am I, Jett?_

I couldn't even get the chance to see a glimpse of his eyes. 'Lavi' then moves his face towards my cheek, as my shoulder painfully lock into his restraining position. I wince in preparation of whatever plans he has in store for me.

Suddenly, I sense a small peck on my cheek. Lavi backed away to face me with a cheeky grin. "Gotcha. Hehe. You should've seen the look on your face!" All of that...just for a fucking JOKE?! Bastard!

He gently releases his grip, bends down with his hands on his knees and cocked his head. My whole body shivers as adrenaline pierces into my bloodstream "Are you..ok? I was just trying to prove a p-"

 **BAM!**

My fist met his jaw as I sprung up and uppercut him with all of my strength. The redhead flew across and slid with his face still on the ground. He turns and sits up to look at me bruised with pure fear as I walk up to him ready to finish what I started.

"Now now! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you that much!" Lavi panicked as his arms spontaneously flail around.

"Too late." I crack my knuckles in my fists.

His eye widens as he points his finger in front of me. "Kuro! Watch out! Look behind you!"

"Nice try, but I'm not falling for a childish trick like -MMHPH!" A damp white cloth covers my nose as someone slams my body onto the ground and restrains me. The smell from towel is pungent and is reminiscent of cough medicine. All of my senses begin to slow down. An entity that I think is Lavi stands up, but is also grabbed by another individual. They cover Lavi's mouth with a cloth as well. Lavi body goes slack as the last thing I see in front of me was a husky muscular man with a tan rope.


	11. First Missiom Arc Part Two: Down Under

**AN:This chapter was not made in Microsoft Word. I reread the chapter multiple times to check if anything was missing and it seemed to be ready. If needed, when I get back to my PC, I'll edit the chapter and correct some of the grammar errors. I wanted to get this out around the time when the newest chapter of -Man was released. Thank you for understanding.**

* * *

After Kuro and Allen exited the inn, what was left was the cold, suffocating atmosphere caused by Kanda and Lavi static relationship. They shared this few seconds of silence with stares of death. Black and vermillion. Emerald and cobalt. Cold hearted and spontaneous, or so it seemed to be. But the samurai knew that Lavi was up to no good. The few rare times that he seen the redhead remove his facade, he was no longer 'Lavi', he was Bookman jr., a cold soulless husk that did what he needed to do to record history. He just couldn't figure out what Lavi or his master Bookman would want with her. What Mr. raven haired sister-complex and the blonde, egotistical section leaders said should've been confidential. Not just that, but the only evidence of the second exorcist plan existing is him and the now destroyed sixth laboratory. They couldn't have known about the incident that happened nine years ago, could they? The samurai was flooded with questions that would most likely never be answered, so he just has to keep a keen eye on his woman.

He would embrace her at night while moon reflects on them. Her breathing was heavy and sometimes she would mumble words that couldn't be comprehended. Toned legs would wrap around hers as he fell asleep to her heartbeat. The smile that would rarely be seen would melt every cell in his body. The way she looked into his eyes, mesmerizing, and gentle. Although aggressive and stubborn, those small things that they would do together made it easier for him to breath in this world. But she wasn't her. She wasn't the woman that he's been looking for within the past nine years. He knew that. Then why was the male exorcist's heart running a marathon during moments like before? If she wasn't her, then why did his body ache when she was untangling the bird from his black locks? Why did he want the murder his ginger exorcist when he heard that Lavi's been stalking her? Was he beginning to love her? Or is she just a temporary plug to reach his true goal of finding her, the blonde short haired beautiful woman in his visions?

"Yu," Kanda broke out of his train of thought and eyed Lavi with a scowl. "We should head out now."

"Call me by my first name again and you'll be needing another eyepatch,"

* * *

"Hey Ku! Wake up!"

What...what's that noise? And my head...it feels like a mallet is pounding on my skull.

"Ku! Wake up already! We need to get out of here!"

That voice...it sounds familiar. Lavi? Is…that you?

My eyes struggle to spread open. The scenery looks unfamiliar to me with the oak wood panels on the floor, dim lighting, a crooked spruce door and clay rocks forming the walls. I try to move my left arm but it's tightly restricted to the wooden chair that I'm sitting on by a rope. In front of me was a single small round table holding a strange black mallet and my exorcist outfit, leaving me in my former button up black lounge clothes . My memory of how we got here is almost nonexistent.

I turned next to me to see Lavi in the same situation, except with a slight frown and furrowed eyebrows. It's obvious that he didn't put me through this.

"What happened?"I questioned.

"You were attacked behind by an large man and put to sleep. I was about save you but the same thing happened to me."

"So...we were basically kidnapped?"

"Precisely." I start to recall the events that happened prior to my situation. Lavi's emerald iris peering into mine with an unknown intent. His cravings for information, and how he was willing to do ANYTHING to get it, including putting me into a vulnerable position just to prove it. Kanda told me to stay away from this red headed bastard, but I was just too curious. Now I'm paying the price for being disobedient.

I know that I can easily ignite the ropes and get out of here, but after that, where would I go? The walls show that we are underground, but why were we kidnapped? Where's the exit? My curiosity is getting me into more trouble. Ugh! Haven't I learned from before with Lavi?

The door is slammed open, causing some of the rocks on the adjacent side to tumble down. A familiar bald, bulky man slowly intrudes with three ring on his hand. Following him was the brown capped boy from earlier.

"YOU!" I yelled Lavi's face went between the two of us in complete confusion. "What are you doing here!?"

"Welcome to the Southern wing of the mines." Andrei's said. "I told ya that you would regret destroying my business girlie. I just took your friend over there because we don't need a witness running around."

"What?" I yelled. "I didn't destroy your shop! You were the one that bumped into the shelf!"

"Ku, how do you know this guy?"

"You bitch, don't act like it wasn't your fault!" A small tear appeared in the corner of his eye. "Not only didn't you kill my precious collection of booze, after you and the white headed brat left, the next thing I knew was that a weird creature smashed into my bar and completely demolished it!"

"That's not my problem." I scoffed. "If you didn't attempt to touch me, maybe you would've still had you collection right now. Stop crying like an infant." The buff man's face grew with red, pure anger as he clenched his fists. The boy ran by the door to prepare his escape from pissed father.

"What did you say you little-"

"Hold on a minute!" Lavi shouted, making Andrei's stern eyes peer down on him intimidatingly. "What did the creature look like?" His question reminded me of why we even came here. We are exorcists. Not policemen. "We might know why your shop was destroyed."

Andrei scratched his skull as his eyes rolled up to the ceiling, looking for answers. "It looked like a mechanical insect with a black pentacle on its head, but that thing was the size of a house! It slammed onto my shop and looked around, blabbering something about a lost item. Then it flew away as if nothing happened."

Us two exorcists look at each other and nodded. We both knew what the other was thinking. A mechanical insect with a black pentagram looking for something? That must be the work of the Earl.

The boy wandered around and skipped up to the table, seeing that his dad's tone eyes shined once he spotted the small black mallet, picked it up with his tiny hands and held it up for his dad to see. "Hey dad! Can I have this?"

"Sure kiddo. It's garbage to me."

"Hey!" Lavi struggled to get out of his chair and failed miserably. The kid twirled it around his hand. His emerald eyes sharpened. "You can't have that! And big guy. Listen to me." Andrei scoffed and stood directly in front of him with with a murderous intent, but Lavi didn't flinch or show any signs of fear. "Ku and I only came to this town to help. The 'insect' that crashed into your shop was most likely an akuma. And it will come back. Have you heard of the Golden Gem of Pleasure? We heard that it's somewhere in the northern mines and-" before Lavi could finish, Andrei kicked the redhead in the stomach with full force, sending him flying with the chair and collided with the wall in the back of the room. Landing on his side, he started going into a coughing fit until Andrei slammed his massive boot on top of his head multiple times, each stomp being harder than the last one.

"Lavi!" I shouted.

"Shut your fucking mouth boy. You're on our territory. Act like a big shot again and I'll crush your skull on this ground right now." He growled at the end of his words as Lavi turned his head to the side and looked at me while gritting his teeth to show me something I would've never expected from Bookman jr. His one emerald eyed eye glistened.

Fear.

Pain.

Panic.

I need to help him

"Andrei!" I roared. He slowly turned around with his dead eyes digging into mine. "If you touch him one more time I will kick your ass!" A large deviant smirk spread around his face as he takes a step to get to me. Lavi caught on and raised his head up.

"No! Don't touch her!" He screamed, trying to worm towards me.

"So it's ok for me to touch you, little bitch?" His lips curved into a smile. But I returned his offer with a smirk and a plan that might work.

"Why don't you touch me again and see where that lands you, bastard."

He tilted my chin up, espousing my neck. His cold finger started trickle up to my neck causing me to shiver. Slowly, he started to unbutton my top from the top. Of course that's the first place he goes. Because nothing else mattered to him.

Lavi was still wiggling around, but to no avail, he couldn't free himself. His movements became more harsh and spastic every passing second. "Damn it." He cursed underneath his breath.

Andrei finally unbuttoned the middle button, spreading the top of my shirt. He then yanked my bandages down, revealing my tattoo. I took a deep breath in.

WOOSH

A quick burst of red and orange flames surround me, creating a forcefield that slammed the buff bald man to the wall, leaving behind a crater as his body went limp. The flame burst also destroyed the rope and wooden chair that once held me captive as I fall on the floor. Small ignited licks of fire was scattered across the room, lighting up the dim room we were stuck in.

I've completely forgot about his son in the corner covered with tears dropping from his watering eyes. He released the toy hammer from his hands, letting it clank onto the floor.

His eyes…

They look just like Jett's

Why...why is it that every time, every damn time I try to forget about you, you keep coming back to haunt me?

I said that I'm sorry.

Please just leave me alone.

"You…" He slurred, bouncing his eyes between me and his collapsed father. Once he collected the scene that happened in front of him, his eyes dart into mine with pure hatred. "You bitch! How could you...you fucking monster!"

I shut every single thought about him. The kid's words don't leave a scratch on me? A monster you say? I've been called worse."Calm down," I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders "I didn't kill him. Worst case scenario he just hit his head a little too hard." My voice sounds monotone and uncaring. This situation was already getting out of hand. I just want to leave this horrid place.

"I'll…" the kid pointed his finger directly to me with tears running down his face. "I'll get everyone here to come and kill you! Both of you!" And so, the kid ran out of the room.

I rose up from my position and stretched my arms out to release every cramped muscle in my body. A second later, my face turned red as I could see Lavi's eyes staring right at my still visible chest in the corner of my eye, speechless and taken aback with a tint of pink around his cheeks. I swiftly pulled my wrappings back into position buttoned my shirt all the way up. I walk over to the table, grabbed my jacket and buttoned it up to my neck without a single word of exchange between me and the redhead behind.

"...Ku?" Lavi said in a whispered jittery tone."What do you plan on doing now?"

I sighed. "Going to find the innocence. Goodbye."

"Wait! Aren't you going to untie me first?"

"I don't know 'Lavi Bookman'." I put emphasis on his name. "I'm pretty sure you're strong enough to free yourself out. Or are you afraid of losing track of another piece of information? Is that what I am to you?" His expression soften with guilt. I can't comprehend whether this is an act or not.

"Kuro," He… he said my full name. I don't know how or why, but I felt relieved, almost satisfied Lavi lowered his head, covering his one eye with his bangs. "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just...I've been wanting to talk to you normally but you seemed so...unapproachable. I do want to be friends with you, I really do. Can you give me one more chance?"

He looks up to me, with innocence in his orbs.I want to leave him behind. To hurt him. But, that would prove the fast that I'm more of a terrible person. And at the same time, I want to believe that he, like everyone else has good in him. Even if it's just a speck of good, it's worth saving. My brother would've done so.

I walked to him raised my hand as high as it could go and slapped him, leaving a pulsating read handprint on his already bruised face. I then went behind him and attempt to released him from the chair by undoing the knot. The rope was clearly made of fibers, sticking out of the uniformed ribbons like thorns. I waste a few minutes struggling, turning my fingers red.

Lavi gave me an inpatient confusing look. "Is everything alright back there?"

"Oh just shut up. The rope is tighter than I thought."

"Can't you just light it on fire so I can break free?"

"And leave you burning into ash, defeating the purpose of saving you? I'm immune to my innocence, you're not. Just let me concentrate." Another minute passed with no luck. My fingers start to shake as my patience runs dry.

"Kuro, there might be a pocket knife in my back pants pocket."

I paused for a moment to glare at him. "You didn't think of telling me this earlier?!"

"I forgot!"

"You're a Bookman! You can't forget thinks like this!"

"Ok! I was lying. I didn't want to say anything because you were so angry at me."

"I'm still angry at you."

"But you look cute when you're annoyed." He teased. My face, as expected grew a little in hue. Damn it. He always knows where to push just to make me blush.

"Che. You're annoying" I retort as I quickly dug deep into his back pocket. He made a high pitched squeak and straightened his back, giving me more room. I pulled out a small stubby dagger with a triangle point. The blade is dull and needs to be sharpened, but it will suffice. In one swipe I sliced the ropes off behind him and tottered towards the door, refusing to look at him.

"Thanks, Kuro."

"Whatever. Let's go." A few steps after, my legs gave up on me. My vision began to blur as I fall down, sitting with my legs bent to the side. Everything is duplicating and reforming around me. I place a hand on my now throbbing head, feeling lightheaded. Was this because I used too much energy at once for one move?

"Kuro!" Lavi shouts, running up behind me to crouch down and hold my back up. "Are you ok?"

"Yea. Just...tired." I tried to explain. I use my knee as leverage to stand up, still holding my head with my hand. "I kinda suck at using my innocence."

"You'll get used to it in due time." Lavi supported. "Let's sit here for awhile, you need to rest."

"No. The kid went to go look for backup. We need to go now."

Lavi took in a deep gulp of air and exhaled Unexpectedly, He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, putting his hand on my arm. "Ok, just hold onto me for awhile. iI you feel faint again, tell me so I can carry you ok?" I looked up to him. He kept his sight looking forward, almost distant. I don't have the energy to argue with his decision. After all, he's helping me walk. It's best just to follow what he says in this situation, even if Kanda told me to stay away from him.

"Ok."

* * *

Kanda tossed and turned in the middle of the night. Although the samurai was a light sleeper and could act accordingly when ambushed at any time, he knew that in a few hours, their mission to find the innocence will begin, so sleeping was mandatory. But something seemed off and misplaced in the atmosphere. The room was slightly quieter than usual. Usually when the three went on missions, Allen would sometimes snore while Lavi would talk incoherent phrases about beautiful women in his sleep. His eyes open and stray to Allen.

Allen snored obnoxiously on the couch and on the brink of falling on his head in his peculiar sleeping pose. Drool streamed from his mouth, mumbling some traumatic experience with his master's debt. "100 guinea...no...it was 162 guinea...Master...no...he's going to come back and take my money away! Leave me alone!" Oh how he hated his two teammates even more when they had to share a room.

At this point, Kanda was threw with it. He angrily jolted up, put on a button up white shirt and stomped out of the room, hoping to see if his special friend was awake as well.

He knocked on the door a few times. No answers. "Oi, Woman." He called in a low tone. No reply. Kanda found her privacy to be trivial and decided to let himself in, questioning why the door wasn't locked. 'Stupid woman. Is she that careless?' He thought. The raven haired exorcist scanned the room with his cold dark eyes. It was nothing like the room he had to share with Allen and Lavi. Everything was neatly placed, with her suitcase and folded towels placed on the dresser. His shared room was as expected of teenage boys, cluttered with bundles of clothes and used towels. But her bed was vacant. Kanda strolled and peaked into the open bathroom. Nothing. Where could she have gone? He pulled back the covers on her bed, looking for any trace of her even sleeping in there. Her exorcist uniform isn't his visible sight. Maybe she went for a walk? That had to be it. Kanda 'che'd and went back to his shared room with nothing to do but struggle and sleep. As he walked in, he noticed that Lavi's bed was vacant as well. He glanced in the bathroom. Nothing. 'Where are they?' He thought. Then, his brain decided to jump to conclusions 'Don't tell me...that he's with her?!' With worry in his mind, the samurai went to the only person that would have information

Kanda kicked the snoozing Moyashi off the couch and onto the floor. Allen rubbed his white locks with his left hand in confusion and with a scowl. "Moyashi. Get up."

"What was that for? And my name is Allen!"

"Where the hell is Lavi?"

"How should I know?" Allen said, still angry with Kanda. "Did you check the bathroom?"

"Do you think I'm that stupid not to check there? Of course I did!" The two of them bickered like an old married couple.

Allen paused and pondered for a bit, taking the situation in. "He probably went for a walk."

"Che. How annoying." Kanda snarled.

"Why do you care if he went for a walk or not? That's...strange of you."

"Because Kuro's missing too." Allen silver eyes widened. "And her jacket is missing as well." Kanda then snatched his uniform, swiftly put it on in a matter of seconds and made his way to the exit. "I'm going to look for her."

"Kanda!" Allen flustered as his grabbed the uniform that was scattered all over the room and slipped it on. "Wait for me!"

* * *

Lavi and I wander around the mine shafts in silence for what it felt like hours. Once in awhile we would spot a family of bats flying around, staring at us intruders. The kid's 'back up' men were nowhere to be seen. Was Andrei's son just bluffing? My golem was useless underground and could not connect to Kanda or Allen's golem. At least there were firefly lamps every couple of yards, otherwise we would have no chance of getting out. Midway, I was able to convince Lavi that I was fine and it was ok for him to let go of my shoulder. For once, he followed through and didn't challenge me whatsoever. I like this Lavi a lot more. This Lavi is manageable.

But what wasn't manageable was the amount of circles we've been going through. Our plan was to reach the surface and regroup with Allen and Kanda, however, every single cave looked the same as the last one, giving me terrible flashbacks of the endless halls in the Black Order. Lavi said that he knew where we were going, but when a cave we turn into splits off into multiple paths, my trust in his sense of directions fades slightly.

"Are you sure that you know where we are supposed to go to get back up?" I placed a hand on my hip, starting to get more irritated by the second.

He could only give back confident smile and a thumbs up. "Of course. I'm trained to remember details that are insignificant in my surroundings. Every single shaft that we entered was new." His eyes met the ground as he placed his thumb on top of his lips. "Although some of paths that we have been through did split, leading us through a loop."

"We're lost. Don't deny it." My words seemed to have punctured a hole in his confidence, because the next thing I knew he was on his hands and legs with his head slumped down. The tunnel split into three separate tunnels, which as expected, are copies of the other tunnels we've been through. Except for one of the tunnels. The one furthest to the left seemed to have a disgusting odor with a peculiar light shining at the end. I pointed to the tunnel. "Lavi, do you see that?

Lavi finished sulking, pulled his head up and nodded. "Yea. Could that be the exit?"

Exit? It's is the exit! My spirit lighten up with a smile across my face. "Let's go!"

The deeper we plunged into the tunnel, the colder and danker it got. The lamps hoisted by the clay walls popped up less frequently, leaving us in a ominous black atmosphere. I activated my innocence to the palm of my hand, creating a hand held light source for the two of us. Lavi scooted next to me with his arm rubbing against mine and grinned, knowing that in this situation, it's best if were as close as possible just to see. His emerald irises reflected from the fire, giving him a childish dazzle.

"Your innocence is pretty convenient, huh?" He smiled.

"I suppose so." Now that I think about it, what did Lavi's innocence look like? Isn't he an exorcist? Allen's was a clown cape and a claw and Kanda's was a sword. He did happen to freak out when the kid back there wanted the toy mallet on the table, was that it?

I had to cover my nose with my sleeve. The stench became pungent, and reeked of something familiar, but what was it? The light at the end began to get brighter, lighting up my hope of seeing the surface. The fire in my palm fanned out as I started to run towards our freedom.

"Kuro!" I hear Lavi call after me. "Wait for me!"

My eyes finally reached the source, having a slight weight lifted off of my chest, but not satisfied enough to show any traces of happiness. It wasn't the exit, sadly, but what we were looking for this whole time. The Golden Gem of Pleasure. The small coin sized mineral shinned into my eyes, almost blinding my vision. The jewel sat on a throne of smaller surrounding rocks that displayed freckles of its power, covering each one with spots of gold. A few feet next to it was a strange, small crevasse that dug deep below us. The odor is almost unbearable. I carefully step around it as Lavi catches up to me.

"Here it is." Lavi says with his eyes gazing on the rock. "Amazing isn't it? But it looks like it's stuck to the rocks around it." He then moves his hand, grips the gem and attempts to pry it off with no success. "Damn it"

"According to what I've heard, no one has been able to mine around it with normal pickaxes." I commented.

Lavi smirked and dug into his pocket, pulling out the black toy hammer from earlier. "I guess it's my turn to shine."

I managed to snatch it out of his hand with a quick gesture and moved it up to my face to scan the black tool. The head was made out of an unrecognizable metal material, leaving a slick shine. The handle, strangely enough was made out of the same metal material, restricting any shock absorption. Overall, it was a poorly designed toy. Not to mention, the size was pathetic. "What do you plan on doing with this."

"Give that back." He said, snatching it away with a frown. "I'm going to break the surrounding rock."

"Pfft- you plan on breaking something with that small toy?!" Lavi pouted while he watched me mock him. He then took a few steps back away from the rock and smiled

"Get back and watch." I followed his instructions. Lavi then raised both of his arms and eyed down the jewel. "Big hammer little hammer grow, grow, grow!" And to my amazement, the once tiny hammer grew ten times its size, slightly towering him and almost hitting the ceiling of the cave. Lavi placed his hand on his hip and hoisted the hammer over one shoulder. And with two swings on each side of the Golden Jewel, he was able to destroy the rocks surrounding the innocence, allowing him to pry it off. He turned around and gave me a goofy smile. "Impressed?"

I shrugged my shoulders."I guess."

"Oh come on," his hammer retracted it it's normal size as he dropped it into his pants pocket and placed both of his hands behind his neck. "At least give me a little bit of credit!"

"I'll give you credit when you get out out of here!"

A sharp ear breeding shriek came from the end of the tunnel, making us both turn around. Lavi eyes narrowed the black abyss, still holding the glowing in his hand. Another high pitched scream followed. "Someone's down there!" The redhead dropped the innocence into his pocket and dashed into the abyss.

I followed Lavi through the damp caves for who knows how long we were running for. He unsuspectingly stopped, causing me to collide with his back and fall down. "Lavi you can't just stop..." at that second, I understood why Lavi paused, trembling with fear. Massive pools of blood, ash and limbs were scattered around an akuma with three horns coming out of its back and knight armor. That's why backup didn't come when the kid called for it. One of the men had his torso completely sliced through and died with his eyes wide open. In the corner, some of the bodies had flies feeding off of the flesh as they rotted away. This is Hell. I held back the urge to vomit. I want to run. No...I NEED to run. But my legs. They won't move. They're stuck to the ground, trembling with fear.

The akuma slowly turned around showing its knight helmet. "Exorcists!" It screamed. "Give me the innocence!" The akuma then charged towards us at full speed

Before my body could react, Lavi, instinctively, grabbed my arm and started running. "Come on! I can't use my hammer in here! There's not enough room! I snapped out of it and started to use my feet. We passed the location of where we found the innocence, returning to that horrid odor we had to deal with. Lavi held his hand to his mouth. "Ugh. It smells like rotting eggs."

Rotting eggs…why does that sound familiar…wasn't that smell in the chemistry book Komui gave me? It had something to do with a chemical...but what chemical? Alcohol? Carbon monoxide? Methane?...Then everything connected.

"Methane. Color: none. Odor: Reminiscent of spoiled eggs. Flammability: 4/4 Explosive."

Spoiled eggs odor...fire….explosion...that's it.!

When we were about to reach a split end, I snatched Lavi's hand at the last second and went down the path on the right and hid behind a massive boulder. Before the redhead could speak, I clap my hand over his mouth and peeked to the akuma luckily went the other way, leaving us safe for now.

I removed my hand slowly. "Lavi. I have an idea to get out of here and kill the akuma. But first, I need you to tell me what your innocence can do."

Lavi gave me a smug smile. "So now you're interested with me?" In return of that flirty, snarky response, I hit his shoulder, giving him a chance to redeem himself. "Sorry, sorry. I can make it grow, extend, control the weather, crea-"

"Can you make us a way out?"

"Kuro where are you going with this?" He raised an eyebrow. I can hear the akuma's footsteps growing. There's no time for questions.

"Listen. The smell that was back there is a gas called methane. It's VERY explosive. I'm going to use my fire, ignite the area, making the mines explode and making the area cave in. If you can move the falling rocks and get us out, we can make it to the surface."

Lavi snapped his fingers. "That makes sense. And the akuma will be killed as well from your innocence explosions. But it sounds really risky."

"It's the only option we got right now. I can make the explosions, but can you do it?" I asked. He gave me a cocky smile which immediately transformed into a frown when we both heard the mechanical stomps of the akuma coming back for its prey.

"You can count on me!"

The two of us used our stealth abilities to move swiftly through the cavern, having our noses lead the way back. Once in awhile, we would hear more mechanical whirling, meaning that the cave could be full of them now. We were able to reach the area where the gas was the strongest. I sniffed to where the smell was coming from, the crevice. This was the place. To test how deep it was, I grabbed a tiny pebble and dropped it into the hole. No noises. Not even the sound of it dropping into water. I have to get my flames to go all the way down there. This just got a little more complicated.

I turned around to Lavi, who was waiting patiently and sheepishly scratched the back of my neck while averting my eyes. "This...may not work. I don't know if I can control my flames to move in certain directions that far, let alone move it off my hands from a distance."

The redhead gawked at me and slapped his face with his palm. "You mean you didn't think this through?!"

"Well What's your plan? Keep running until we die?!"

"You were the one that was frozen in front of the akuma! I had to ran you just for us to get here! Why don't you depend on little ol' me to help! I won't bite, unlike Yu." He gave me a sly smile.

My blood started to boil once again from his somewhat promiscuous remark and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling his head down couple of inches and meeting eye to eye. "What did you just say, eyepatch?!"

"Now I have another nickname." Lavi pointed his finger at me and teased. "You're just like Yu!"

"Shut your mouth or I'll mmnnph!" He clapped his hand over my mouth, pulled me around the corner and held me around my waist with his free hand. He peeked around the clay corner as a collection of mechanical whirls passed us. These tunnels are infested with these bastards and we need to leave now.

"Listen," Lavi whispered into my ear, making me shiver. "Move close enough and blast fire into the hole. Right when you begin to hear a chain reaction of explosion, I'll pull you to me and then I'll get us out of here." I glanced up. His eyes were sharp and serious enough to cut steel. I nodded and slowly went up to the crevasse on my hands and knees and placed my hand over the hole. I could feel Lavi's large hand gripping onto my arm as he stood with his hammer extended.

Is this even possible? I was able to let it leave my body earlier, but to direct it towards a location? Well there's no point in worrying now. I took a deep breath as I feel the energy moving towards my hand and pushed a jet of fire out into the hole...I think. 20 seconds have passed with no solid responses coming from under us. My vision begins to fog as my body feels heavy. I struggle to hold the position I'm in and lean to the side.

Lavi wrapped his arms around me, trying to keep my body up. "Come on you can do it." His words of encouragement means well, but doesn't stop my body from slowly giving up.

"I'm...trying" I grit my teeth and keep at it. I can see Lavi turning his head in the corner of my eye.

"The exorcists are over here!" My eyes began to give up on my and close.I hear one of them call with a gurgling voice. A stampede of akuma trampled into the tunnel towards us. And at the same time...

'Bang'

It was small, but growing in size every millisecond that was passing. "I did it" I whispered. Lavi pulled me up and wrapped one of his arms around me. My head goes limp and my eyes could barely stay open. The explosions, stomping and the falling of rocks combined into one muffled sound.

"Big hammer, little hammer, grow, grow, grow!"

My feet are lifted into the air as my stomach disagrees with the change of movement. The screams of the akuma began to fadeas we rise up. A gust of fresh air brushes up against my face as my body finally falls on the ground. I gasp for the clean air that I will never take for granted. The sky was just about to turn over with strikes of orange and yellow coming out from the horizon. Each part of my body was covered in dirt and dust. I turned my head to see Lavi in the same position that I'm in except with more bruises on his face. But even in his condition, that idiot still gave me a thumbs up and a smile. "Nice save, Ku."

With all the hell we've been through, I take another deep breath in and gave him a smirk. "My...name's not Ku."

Unfortunately, we weren't saved just yet. Surprisingly, a small trio of akuma cracked and broke through the surface with only cuts and scratches. Lavi quickly scrambled to his feet and wielded his hammer. I struggle to move my body, but it refuses.

"Ku! Get up!" I turn my head towards Lavi. He was using his hammer as a shield against one of the akuma's claw. I try once more to move my legs. Nothing One of them crawl up to me and smirks, pulling its hands back about to attack. I close my eyes and prepare for whatever next.

Arms are wrapped underneath my legs and back as I'm quickly moved away. I pry open my eyes. A handsome man with long, black hair in a pointy tail and bags underneath his sharp dark eyes glares at me with a vein pulling out of his forehead.

"...Kan...da."

"You stupid woman! Do you know how long the Moyashi and I were looking for you?! FOUR HOURS! Four hours of endless walking through this town! And right after I tell you to stay away from Baka Usagi over there! You just do the opposite and look at where it got you! And...oi...open your eyes. Stay with me!" I struggle to keep my eyes open with every drop of energy I had left, Kanda cupped my cheeks with his hands and starts to become frantic. The only thing I can do is smile at his reaction

"You...care.." I mumble as everything went black.

* * *

I woke up a few hours later inside the hotel room with a massive headache and a lot of explaining to do. Not just to Kanda and Allen, but to Komui, who seemed somewhat annoyed that Lavi and I destroyed the underground mining system in a town that strives from its silver and steel trades. Luckily, the explanation of 'the entire tunnel system was infested with akuma looking for the innocence we retrieved underground' was good enough.

"Kuro, how was your first mission?" I could hear komui sipping on the coffee that Lenalee most likely made for him through my golem. I decided to give him a real answer. Through the miserable train ride, the brothel, the harassment, being in a cave for three hours and collapsing during the middle of a battle while being scowled at by my roommate...

"It was ok."

"Well that's good." He said cheerfully. Kanda and Allen are arguing in the background as they pack their bag. "When you get here, I need you to come straight to me to return the innocence and take your vitals."

"Vitals? Why?"

"Because," Komui's voice jumps down a few notches. "What you did down there was way too risky for your body. I know that you're new to using your innocence, and as you use it more you'll become more comfortable with it, but we can't have you fainting after every use." He's right. If Kanda didn't save me back there, I wouldn't be standing here. "You need to learn how to control it. By the way, have you thought of a name for your innocence?"

"It needs a name?"

"Yes. Usually identified innocence already has a name. For instance, Allen's innocence is called Crown Clown, or Kanda's Mugen. But because yours is a new type, it doesn't have a recorded name."

I thought about it for a few seconds and gave up. "I really don't care about something that's as trivial as a name."

"Ah. Well maybe I can give you some time to think about it." Before hanging up, one more question popped into my head.

"Komui, did you give me the chemistry book, knowing that I could use science to amplify my innocence?"

"No. I just want you to help me with my experiments." He says cheerfully. "So when you come back, I want to come to the lab and help me-" I canceled the call. That idiotic scientist…

"Kuro!" I hear Allen calling for me outside of the hallway. "We're ready to go."

"Coming." As soon as I walked out of my room, I bump into Lavi's chest, who was standing right in front of my door. Allen and Kanda were already at the check out desk, leaving the two of us alone.

"Sorry." I apologize awkwardly, still uncomfortable around him.

During the past two days, Lavi has flip back and forth from enemy, to comrade. He saved me, and tried to protect me all this time. Even though Kanda doesn't approve of me being in the same room with this complete flirt, I at least need to thank him.

"Look…" I started, looking at the ground in embarrassment. Lavi raises his eyebrow. "Thank you...for saving me back there. And… sorry for all of the things...I said." I clench my fists as I struggle to get each word out. Lavi gives me the biggest grin I've witnessed in my entire life as he grabs my waist and pulls me close to him.

"Aww! You finally like me!" He teased, making my cheeks hot. "I knew you would loosen up around me.

I struggle to pry out of his embrace. "Ok! Let go of me! I get it! Hey!" Allen and Kanda hear my cry for help as they rush to the scene with Kanda about to kill the idiot and Allen pulling me off.

Time crawled forward on the train ride back to headquarters. Kanda and I were sitting next to each other comfortably. Thank god because I don't feel the need to scoot away from him every five seconds like the trip from the Black Order. Everyone, including me was silent including the obnoxious redhead with bags under his eyes. I close my eyes for a minute and when I opened them, My head was resting on Kanda's shoulders. Everyone was sound asleep, including Kanda, who surprisingly had both of his feet on the ground and his muscles relaxed. His face still looks better without his signature scowl smacked on.

Allen and Lavi were not different, for the white haired teen leaned his against the metal train's window while Timcanpy laid on his shoulder ..sleeping? And somehow appeared to slightly grow in size enough to cover Allen's shoulder completely. Lavi, on the other hand, planned on his sleep position. His jacket was unzipped and used as a blanket while he rested his head on Allen's lap. The redhead's scarf wrapped was wrapped loosely around his neck with his bandana covering both of his eyes, snoring lightly. I could sense their friendship and trust through this one moment. The train going over each bump periodically every millisecond, the light snoring from Allen and Lavi, and Kanda's shoulder moving slightly with each deep breath as we get closer to the church that some of us called 'home'.

Peaceful.

* * *

 **Six hours later, back at headquarters**

"Lavi."

"Hm? What is it Gramps."

"How was the mission?"

"It was ok. Just the usual retrieve the innocence and kill akuma schtick."

"I don't care about that, fool! I'm talking about your mission as 'Lavi'. What did you learn?"

"Oh, haha. That's easy. She was a tough nut to crack, but I got a little bit of info from her."

"Tell me."

"Alrighty. Kuro. Age:18. Race: Asian, most likely East Asian. Approximately 5'7, 170 cm. Innocence ability: is able to create fire in the palm of her hand while using up physical energy. Her skills with it are lacking tremendously and she doesn't even know what she's capable of. Hobbies? I can assume that she's interested in weapon craftsmanship based on observing her. She might like science, but that's unclear. Her relationship with Allen Walker is questionable, but as for now, I would consider them as buddies. Yu on the other hand has an emotional connection with her that is surprisingly close to a significant other for some re-"

"Just get to what I want to hear. Or did you not get enough information about her?"

"Fine, fine. She has a large black 'Om' tattoo encased with a triangle on the left side of her chest. Fire was able to come out of it as well."

"That's what I wanted to hear."

"So what now? The tattoo is good enough proof. Can't we talk to komui about this?"

"Not yet. In this case, patience is key."


	12. First Missiom Arc Part Three: Welcomes

**AN:** **This chapter was extremely hard to write. It's 4 am but I hope you enjoy this 10k worded chapter :)**

* * *

A slow week has passed since my first mission with Allen, Kanda and Lavi, allowing me to adjust to living here easier. When we returned on the boat, Komui immediately dragged me to the medical unit to check my vitals and blood pressure. The head nurse poked a thin needle into my arm and took a small blood sample. She also hooked me up to multiple machines to monitor my vitals As expected, everything was abnormally below average, so I was given even more medicine to take. For precaution, he set up a schedule for me while I'm here. In the mornings before breakfast, I would get my vitals taken and a new shot of vitamins. Right before I hit the baths, I would repeat this. This was purely for documentation of my innocence and how it reacts with my body.

The head nurse also told me to increase my food intake and to eat almost twice the amount of food I usually get in the cafeteria and to get. So I've been getting my usual plates of fish, rice, vegetables and decided to eat with Allen when the stupid redhead wasn't around, hoping that being around someone that eats a lot would encourage me to eat more as well.

No results.

In fact, I was eating LESS, around Allen's mountain of food since it's so intimidating it makes me nauseous. He would chatter about his travels around the world and trivial things, like the weather, complain about Kanda, his daily routine or strange things he found out throughout the day. But one day, something strange slipped off his tongue.

The two of us and Lenalee were sitting together in the middle of the day. Allen has his usual 'snack' while I ate a large bowl of mixed fruit. We listened to him chatter with lenalee and she responding to must of his comments. I had nothing interesting to contribute since I was still new, and my past is nothing but a blank slate when I was ten and then misery until I found Master Deo. I'm nothing special, unlike him. But the atmosphere turned grim. It's as if the world was coming to an end when he said:

"Even though I was considered in the 'clear' for now, I'm still scared that Link and Lvellie will come back and accuse me of being the 14th again."

The 14th, Lvellie and Link were names I couldn't understand the gravity that caused the mood to drop. Lenalee stared solemnly to the ground as if she was about to cry. Allen then frantically apologizes to her for ruining the mood, but Lavi happened to jump in and save the moment. Although annoying, he can be useful at times with his positivity.

During training hours, Komui also decided to pair me up with Kanda to teach me basic martial arts, which was the most insane thing I've heard him say since he forced me to share a room with him. I've witnessed the cold hearted Yu Kanda in the training rooms, surrounded by the corpses of those who challenged him covered with blood and nor did I plan on becoming one of them.

Our lessons would start off with stances and then elevate to a full on brawl. I had to follow a certain soldier style fighting system which is more structured compared to my risk and receive fighting style. Each passing session with the samurai has been more viscous, as if he's on battlefield. Kick after kick, punch after punch, I was told not to dodge and block every move that he threw out to me. Most of them I succeeded, with bruised arms and legs. But on occasion, he would kick me hard enough for me to be coughing up blood. And when I fell down, it was almost impossible for me to stand back up. How the hell was I able to land a hit on him before?

But when I did manage to hit on him somehow, my attack would mean nothing due to his ability to recover and fight back. In the end, I would just get frustrated and attempt to beat the shit out him. He of course would fight back, leaving me with even more bruises at the end of the day. My injuries would heal quickly overnight, but the aches lasted to the next day. Of all the people I had to train with, Why him? And he still calls me 'Woman'! How long is he going to keep at that shit?

But at night, I would be resting my aching body on the soft cloud like mattress. He would come in later with a towel wrapped loosely around his neck, get under the covers and wrap his strong arms around my waist. I hate that bastard side his, but my heart melts when someone holds me like this.

The outside world conflicting with my feelings...it hurts. And he's the one to blame.

* * *

Which leads me to today. After putting on a black button up blouse and white pants, I walk down the hall right after getting my daily vitals and medication from the nurse and checking in with komui. As expected, everything seemed lower than what it should be, but my body is a lot healthier compared to when I first became an exorcist. Members wearing lab coats and tan uniforms zip past like bees carrying cardboard boxes and papers faster compared to the average day at the Order. Most of them had dark circles around their eyes and hair like a bird's nest. They must have been pulling all nighters huh? I can't imagine what that lunatic of a director that man's forcing them to do. When each member passes me, their eyes, filled with exhaustion, meet mine, I keep my line of sight at the end of the hallway as they start to walk faster. Is my face really that intimidating? I mean, unlike Kanda's furious gestures, I always kept straight face for the time that I was here.

I pause for a moment and touch my eyelids with my fingertips. Maybe it's my eyes. I have been told that my yellow eyes were always scary. "The witch's bright yellow cat like eyes. So bright, you can see them coming to kill you in the middle of the night." That's what the kids would say back at home during camp fires. I cover my hand over my mouth and let out a small yawn. Ugh. It's too early to be dwelling on the past.

I haven't made an effort of meeting the other exorcists since I've been too preoccupied with my gruesome training with Kanda, my personal training and enjoying solitude, nor do I feel the need to run up and introduce every single person that I don't know. I don't have a reason to know who they are until they become my teammate for a mission. But in numbers, Allen was right. There are any exorcists here. The only new person I've seen within the past week wearing an exorcist uniform was an older bulky man with tan skin and a headphone set. His eyes were small and lacked color, for me to presume that he had vision challenges. We passed each other once or twice, but nothing else came from our interactions, which was ok with me. Another person that's easy to get along with.

As I turn the corner, Lenalee was cheerfully chatting with Allen. The two of them seem to be on some kind of adrenaline like the others who I passed with their feet instantly moving. Both of them were carrying similar large cardboard boxes, Allen's share was three times bigger. The albino exorcist then ran off as if he was in a hurry down the halls of the cathedral. The Chinese girl waved goodbye, saw me in the corner of her eye, turned around and smiled brightly.

"Good morning Kuro. Where are you heading?" She asked. Although our first encounter was swell, lenalee was always too ecstatic for my taste. Running around with a happy-go-lucky smile while helping her brother, chatting with every person that she comes across, it's unneeded. That or it's her way of coping with the war we're stuck in. But I have no plans on making enemies here, so I'll just keep in touch with her.

"Going to the cafeteria for breakfast." I keep walking as if she wasn't there.

Lenalee scoots in front of me, blocking my path. She darts her pupils away from mine and gives me a apologetic smile. "Actually, from what I heard, my brother destroyed the cafeteria again."

I raised an eyebrow at her vocabulary. "Again? He does that more than once?"

"Yea." She sighs. "It happens more often than you think."

I relax my shoulders. "Well, I'll go and see if they have something to snack on and-"

"Y-you can't!" Lenalee cut off. "The whole mess hall is destroyed and will take days to fix! I can get you something quick to eat if you want." The way she said it brings up sounds deceiving and somewhat nervous. Being my skeptical usual self, I decline the offer.

"No thanks." Usually after breakfast, I train with Kanda, but I'm not in the mood for basic hand coordination and becoming a human punching bag. What I need is a good teacher. One that would teach me something instead of trying to kill me. In fact, if I recall, Allen was holding his ground when training with an older man with black and white hair. Maybe I can ask him for some tips. Anything would be better compared to that dumbass samurai.

"Well where are you going now? Off to train with Kanda again?" Ugh. Why is she so nosy?.

"No I'm training by myself today, thanks for asking OK bye!" I do a 180 and bend my knees, preparing for a quick escape, but the Chinese girl dropped her box to grab my arm. The brown box spilled out its materials ; white sheets of paper, pencils, papers, balloons...streamers...party poppers? Why is she carrying a box full of party supplies? Does the Order celebrate birthdays? Oh well, it's none of my business.

"Kuro," she whispered with her head down and eyes covered by her bangs. "You know it's ok to trust us. Why do you seem so distant? As if you're about to float away." Her words trembled as if she was about to cry. My mind races with options of how to get out of this situation. If she starts crying in the middle of the hallway, I'll be blamed as the corporate once someone sees us! Not to mention, Mr. Sister-complex will kill me in a second when the word is out. Damn it...Why is she getting upset over something so trivial?!

Reluctantly, I decided to tell her the truth. I at least need to get along with her. I pulled my hand back and used it to clench on my free arm, cradling myself as I turned my head towards the window and blushed. Lavi's right. I do have a terrible habit of blushing. "It's...it's because...I'm…I'm not good at making friends." The last few words trailed off in a quiet tone. I'm such an idiot.

Her face lit up a little bit and smiled. "Well, we can work on that together."

"...ok I guess."

* * *

I settle out by the edge of the forest to begin my daily innocence training, right where the old bird's nest was. Sitting in a pretzel position, I placed three small candles in a straight line horizontally five centimeters apart. I placed my index finger on the left most candle, ignited it, closed my hands together, left my pointer finger out and eyed down the stick of fire. My goal: try and move the fire to the next candle without touching it or having the whole area turn into a blaze. If I can lure the flame to the next candle with my finger, then maybe I can learn how to move the fire at will.

Komui keeps mentioning how I'm creatively challenged with that goofy smile of his. A smirk would spread from ear to ear. "Ehh? You can't think of what to do with your innocence? I can perhaps help with some of this black mixture I have!" Oh what's with that disgruntled look? I promise that it won't explode on you!"

How annoying.

No results were forming, so I decided to scoot back a few inches and raised both of my hands out and aimed them towards the lit fire. Minutes has passed. no results. I clench my muscles and struggle to do what seemed to be impossible.

There's no wind, the atmosphere is dry, my innocence is activated, what else am I supposed to do?! Is this not possible? Am I wasting my time?

Suddenly, the flame started to waver to the right candly with its light gray smoke. A smile crept up on my face. Yes… YES!. It's almost there! I just need to concentrate a bit harder!

"What the hell are you doing?"

The flame is early went back to its original form from the sound of a familiar grouchy teammate. I r turned my head around to meet his typical signature frown. I'm starting to think that's his normal resting face.

"Training. What does it look like I'm doing?" Kanda scanned me and the three candles, one of which was a third melted down. He then clicked his tongue, not caring about what I was occupied with.

"Che. You're late. You're supposed to be training with me right now. Come on."

I swift my head back to the candles. And attempt to do what I've been trying to do. "No."

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me. I'm going to get Allen to train with me. I at least won't come back from each session bruised and broken."

Kanda swiftly turned his head and clicked his tongue once more . "The Moyashi can't even throw a punch hard enough to push someone down, and you expect to learn something from him? The akuma won't be going easy on you while you're on missions. I'm preparing you for what's to come on the battlefield."

"You're just teaching me how to become a human punching bag!" I stood up and faced him eye to eye. He towered by almost five inches (12.7 cm), making me feel insignificant and less intimidating. "I can fight my own battles thank you very much. Like how I put you back in your place in Greece!"

His scowl turned into a sly smirk. "Is that a challenge?" What am I getting myself into?

Stubbornly, I decide to act like a fool and hold onto my pride. "Maybe. Wanna go right now?" I teased, putting my hand on my hips. "No innocence. Just hand to hand combat. First one to get pinned down for five seconds w-" before I could finish my sentence, the Japanese man dropped Mugen, charged at me with full force, aiming for my face with his fists. I quickly dodged, only for my arm to get snatch and pulled behind my back. He forcefully twisted my arm, making me clench my teeth at the pain.

"What's a matter?" He scoffed. "You talk all high and nightly but in reality you're weaker than Moyashi."

I crossed my leg with his, twisting his ankle and struggled to throw his heavy body over mine. With ease, he landed on his feet and charged back again, leaving me no time to make a witty remark. Each punch he threw with his incredible super human like speed and agility, I barely dodged.

"Are you always going to be on the defense?" He retorted. I kept backing up after each attack, as my back was about to go into the forest. I finally found an opening between his left shoulder and neck and striker there.

I threw my fist as hard as I could, finally landing a hit and sending him a few feet away from me. His black boots touched the ground and he got into a pouncing position with his knees bent and went straight for another blow again, this time landing a hit right on my nose and sent me flying back a lot farther than I did to him.

I struggle to lift my face up from the dirt, nose dripping with blood and an needle like pain around it. I was out of my league here. I'm such an idiot for challenging him.

Kanda slowly walked towards me with his hand on his hip, giving me another chance to either fight back or ask for forgiveness. "Get up."

I used my arm as leverage to pry myself up from the ground. Wiping the blood off on my arm, I yelled back. "I don't need you to tell me what to do." My body flung towards his with a solid kick.

Punches, kicks, doges, tossing, tripping, counterattack, bruises and blood. Our dance continued for what it felt like forever. Beads of sweat dropped down our foreheads as the two of us pant like dogs under the rays of the blazing sun. Both of us were covered with bruises, but my injuries were more plentiful compared to his scratches. Each of his punches became more readable, for as a trained soldier, there's a learned pattern to his style. I on the other hand, learned to sway my body with more freedom.

He then plunged forward with all the energy he had left with another punch. For once I caught his throw with my hand. His strength is impeccable as his biceps bulge. He threw his other hand at me, I caught it as well. Then, unexpectedly, I could feel my feet begin to slide back as he bent his elbows and started to push forward. My muscles were no match to his, for digging my boots into the ground was unfruitful. Each step he took pushed my bent arms back, struggling to hold his force. My back hit one of the tall oak trees that was near the edge of a hill, the bark scratching my shirt and piercing into my skin, but I keep my eyes on his stern dark orbs. I wasn't pinned, but if I didn't do something about this situation quickly, the fight would end in an instant. A brilliant idea sprung into my head.

 **BANG!**

I used my forehead as a weapon, smashing mine into his, forcing him to let go of my arms as we both wobbled from impact. The world around me spun around rapidly as it tried to catch my footing. Until…

I felt my ankle twist slightly on a rock, and my body started plumbing down the hill. Immediately, Kanda's eyes widened, and with his snake like reflexes, he reaches out his arm and wraps his hand around my head while his other arm around my waist as we tumble down to the bottom of the hill as one. My eyes closed while embracing for each hard and powerful impact from the ground.

The next thing I knew was that my legs were spread around my handsome roomates tight waist, straddled with my hands on his chest. Both of us heaved for air with eyes locked in on each other.

I snapped back into reality for a moment and started timer started in my head. One, two, three, four, five. "I won!" I pushed off, jumped up and smirked at him with the most eastastic and confident smile I could give.

Kanda used his knee as leverage to stand up. "Hmph. You only won because of that fluke. I could beat you to a pulp..." I start to block him out when I saw our surroundings.

Around us was a large circle of moist, rich soil covered with light green grass surrounded by the ambiance of the forest. The area was almost 20 feet in diameter. Looking up, the blazing sun was in view which was dead center in the middle of the area. Near the edge, a small pond with seven to eight lilly pads covered the surface with a few water sausages on the perimeter. Although it was in the middle of the day, I could hear crickets singing in the shallow parts of the deep forest. Fireflies hung out in groups when the sun couldn't reach them

Mysterious, endless, tranquil, beautiful.

"This place...it's almost as if it's magical." I whispered. My eyes absorbed the scenery around me. I could hear Kanda standing up and walk towards me.

Interrupting the moment, my stomach decided to intervene with a small growl. I held my waist with my hand in embarrassment as Kanda gave me a disgusting glare.

"Sorry," I timidly apologizes. "I didn't eat breakfast."

"Why?" He asked, as if he almost sounded concerned for my well being.

I found a dry spot of grass and slumped down with my back against a tree and sighed. "Lenalee said that the cafeteria was being repaired and I couldn't go in."

"I went there this morning, and nothing was messed up." He said. I tilted my head at him in confusion. Lenalee didn't seem like the type of person to lie, let alone to lie without a hint of remorse. With the few times I would see her in the halls, in the science department and in the bath, the Chinese girl gave off a honest, and wholesome vibe. Her attempts of acting cute and perky could easily be spotted miles away from wanting the attention of her peers, but I refuse to believe that she would be the type of person to hurt someone by doing simple things.

My stomach called once more. Kanda rolled his eyes and looked back at the hill where we fell from. "Don't move from this spot." He said as he walked up out into the distance with the wind combing his jet black ponytail.

I crossed my arm around my chest and adjusted myself even more, making me more comfortable. I can only find it strange that after one week, he's only like this towards me.. Does he...have a crush on me? I shake my head, rejecting the thought of that stupid idea.

Soon, Kanda walked back with two oak brown wooden boxes stacked in his arms. He placed one of the boxes in my lap. I opened the seal and inside were gray buckwheat noodles on a bamboo platter, a dark brown broth in a separate small bowl and wasabi and green onions in a small tray. In the corner were a mixture of pumpkin, sweet potato and eggplant thinly sliced, lotus roots, long shrimp and whole asparagus fried to a light crisp with a crunchy tempura batter and a cup of tempura sauce. I always see him eating this dish when he's in the cafeteria. If I can remember correctly, Allen said that it's called soba, and it's the only thing that he eats.

I look back at him with surprise. "Kanda? You got this...for me?"

The samurai scoffed and sat down with his legs crossed. He tossed me a pair of wooden chopsticks. "What does it look like? Just shut up and eat." He then lift his share of soba and started to slurp.

I sheepishly scratch my scalp. "Thank you but…I don't know how to eat soba."

Kanda eyes rolled as he clicked his tongue and glared at me. He held his chopstick in my line of sight. "Watch. I'm not going to do it again." First, he held the chopstick in his hand , showing me how to use them. I examined his fingers and their positioned. He then maneuvered the sticks between his fingers, forming an open "V" motion to grab the noodles, dip them into the wasabi and soup to eat them. After a few failed attempts, I managed to cling on to the method and slurp up the noodles. The texture is soft, so it slipped right into my mouth with the flavor of the soup and the wasabi's kick.

It's ok. Simplistic, not to crazy. Makes sense that he likes something like this.

I glance at Kanda, with noodles still hanging from his mouth. Lips perked and scowl erased from his face. I wish he looked like this all the time. That way, he could be more approachable. His company is fine, especially when there's no need for a conversation. But ever since we started living together, the same question keeps popping up inside of my head.

I stop slurping up my noodles for a moment and look back to Kanda. "Kanda?"

He glances to me, finishing up the last bit of his soba.

"I don't mind being around you, I really don't. In fact, I enjoy your company. It's a nice change in pace. And I've gotten used to sharing a room with you. But-"

"Stop rambling and get to the point, Woman." He ordered. Mental note: tell him to stop calling me Woman.

"Why do you insist that we share the same bed?"

He gave me a poker face and then went back to eating. "You don't like sharing a bed?"

My cheeks rapidly heat up. "No no no! It's not that. I…" I fiddle with my fingers anxiously. "I enjoy...cuddling. It makes me feel like someone is willing to comfort me. But we've only known each other for a short amount of time. And the way you hold me…"

Kanda narrowed eyes are on me with confusion. "Ah! Forget it." I frantically look around to find something to talk about until i noticed that all of Kanda's pumpkin tempura is gone. All that's left we're the other deep fried vegetables and shrimp.

"You like pumpkins?" I asked.

"Hmm." He responded. I can only assume that's a "yes" in his language.

Finally a topic! "Oh I like them too. I remember back home, I wandered into a large field and found a secret patch of giant pumpkins. It was a sight to see! I stole a few and gave them to my master. He cut them into chunks and made really good stew! Then he washed, seasoned and roasted the seeds for the perfect autumn snac-

"You're rambling again." He commented.

I puffed my cheeks out. "Do you not like it when I talk, Mr. anti-social?"

"Look who's talking. You're the one that glances down the hallway every time someone walks by just to make sure you're alone."

My face turns red once again. I make a noise, about to speak up, but he wasn't lying. I'm a professional escape artist. Whether if it's running away from my enemies, friends, work, responsibilities, or internal problems, I can go at Mach speed. It's nothing to brag about, but at some point it was the only redeeming quality I had.

"The scenery here is beautiful…" I commented.

"Terrain like this are great for Fox gloves and hydrangeas."

I gave him a questioning look. "For what?"

"Che. They're a type of flower that grows around here."

"Wow. You know a lot about flowers."

"Hmph. Not really."

"Aha! I have an idea!" I jumped up and stretched my back and turned to Kanda. "Let's start a garden here!"

"Why?"

"Why not? It's obvious that you like plants and flora, and other than training, I don't have any hobbies to spend during the day. And it would be a waste to let this area dry out."

"That sounds like a stupid idea." Kanda said, placing his box on the ground and standing up.

I try to think of a quick reason. "Well maybe we can grow some pumpkins here! And Foxgloves and hydrangeas as well. If we could grow lotuses here, maybe we can have the lake covered with them! I saw the lotus flower in your room, you like those too, don't you Kanda?"

Kanda, for some reason, widened his eyes and was taken aback. It was as if he seen a ghost. His lips began to quiver, struggling to speak. "You...saw the flower in the hour glass?"

"Yea. Why?" My raven haired roommate took a few steps back and fell down with his legs back and quivering. The look in his eyes, reminiscent of a terrified child could barely be described in anymore words. The idea that Kanda, the most stoic, stubborn ass in the whole Black Order could reduce to the state he was in now scares me. And I'm the one that caused it. I walk towards him and bend my knees down to meet him. "Kanda? Are you ok? You're shaking."

My voice brings him back to reality as his muscles relaxed with one deep breath. "It's nothing." What the hell just happened? I reach my hand out to help him get back onto his feet and surprisingly he took it.

Flapping noises come towards us as Kanda's golem arrived from the top of the hill. "Kanda! Did you get Kuro? Where is she?" Presumably komui said.

"She's with me right now." He replied before I could do it for him.

"Ugh! We told you to bring her back an hour ago! Never mind! The two of you come to the building now." The call then hanged up.

I turned my back towards him and looked at the steep hill we tumbled down together. This will take awhile.

"Go without me." He said. I turned my head around to see him resting his back up against the root of a tree, looking weak and tired.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good. Maybe if you talk to me about it-"

"JUST GO!" He yelled with eyes of a vulture. I can't argue with him. I don't want to argue with him. I nod my head and climb my way back home, still wondering what happened to change his mood so quickly.

* * *

I stroll down the halls of the cathedral and sighed. Turning the corner, I see lenalee trot up to me with a smile.

"Kuro, you're late!" She calls, as she grabs one of my hands with both of hers. Her palms are soft and warm, compared to mine. It's obvious that she takes care of her appearance more than I do.

"Late?" I ask. The Chinese girl glanced around my back a couple of times, looking for someone.

"Where's Kanda?" She frowns. "He should've been with you and taken you to the cafeteria by now."

I lowered my head and jab my thumb behind me. "He's outside." Why did I leave him alone? He looked so fragile and lost. Damn it I'm such an idiot.

She puffed her cheeks out and placed a hand on her skirt. "Why couldn't he even follow a simple favor. Anyways, follow me."

"Why?"

"It's a surprise!" She grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the end of the hallway. I on the other hand, was tired of being forced into these situation like these. I planted my feet into the ground. The Chinese girl looks at me with a confused look. "I told you to follow me."

"No."

"Why?"

"First of all, where are we going?"

"To the cafeteria. There's something waiting for you there."

"Didn't you tell me that the cafeteria was destroyed and it would take days for it to be rebuilt?"

"I did but-"

"Then why are you taking me to a place that is destroyed? There's is no reason for me to go!"

Her smile flips. "Kuro, don't you trust us? We're your family."

"No. Sorry. I don't trust you guys. Ever since I came here, everyone. Every. Single. Damn. Person. Have been giving me fragments of information, with little to no meaning to them. 'You can trust me'! 'Don't trust the people from over there'. 'You can trust all of us'. Nothing makes sense! Why would I follow you to a place that you lied to me about this morning? You can't ask me to trust you after that! How do I know that you're one of the people that Komui told me to stay away from? How do I know that you're not going to kill me when I enter the cafeteria? It's like walking around a town with people that you know want you dead, accepting a man's offer to stay over his house before night comes, going in and drinking a cup of water, collapsing onto the ground and waking up in the middle of a cellar with no clothes, surrounded by wanted posters of yourself thinking 'hmm I wonder why that guy would do something like this?' It's stupid!"

"Kuro…"

"And time after time, you get used to it. You get used to the world around you. Everyone is out to get you, every second of the day. You refuse to look people in the eye, because once they know who you really are, they're out to get you. It's hard to eat food offered by a stranger, because you feel the need to pick through it to look for any shards of glass, needles or stray pill fragments. You always get up in the middle of the night to make sure that the door is locked multiple times and sleep with a pocket knife, because chances are, whoever's on the other side of the door has a blade ten times the size of yours!"

"Kuro…"

I hang my head in shame. I don't want to look her in the face. She's probably crying from my episode. That girl...I hate it. I hate how blessed she is. I hate how she can rely on the people around her. I hate how happy she is. And most importantly, i hate how she's always smiling. Whether it's a defense mechanism, or if the smile genuine, I hate it.

I need to leave the scene now. If Komui finds out that I yelled at her, I don't need to worry about being stabbed from behind. I let out a massive sigh.. "Sorry lenalee. My anger wasn't towards you. I don't just 'warm up' to people. I'm calling it a night."

I swiftly turn around for my body to collide with someone else's. They were strong and sturdy enough to not be affected by the collision while I fell on my ass. Looking up, it's the same man with the headphones that I've seen pass through the halls once in awhile.

"You…"

And with ease, I was scooped up with one hand and place over his side shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I started to kick and pound on his chest in protest.

"Hey! Put me down damn it!"

"Let's go, Lenalee." His voice matched his body shape, thick, masculine and heavy.

And without the two of them exchanging words, the three of us walked towards the cafeteria. I kept kicking and twisting my body, hoping that he would loosen his grip. But as expected, my attempts were a waste of time. I decided to accept my fate to wherever they were taking me.

When we reached the canteen door. The two of them pushed the door opened.

"WELCOME HOME!"

A large group of people cheered. The whole science department, a large amount of finders and a hurdle of people wearing exorcist uniforms. Komui stood in front with his arms wide open. Surround them we're tables of Behind them was a white banner that said "Welcome home" in pink letters. Fifteen large white frosted cakes were by the nearest table. Next to the cakes were bottles of wine and glasses.

I looked around in confused with everyone smiling brightly at be. "Huh?!

"Welcome home!" Lenalee cheered once more. "We usually throw a party whenever someone new joins the Order a day or two after. But most of us were on missions. Sorry for keeping it a secret."

The tall man bent his knees so I could get down."I'm Marie." He reached his hands towards me, offering a handshake which I return just to be polite. His grip is strong while the texture of his hands are rough. "Kuro."

"I heard a lot about you from Kanda." My eyes widen. Really? Kanda talks to people other than me?

"Oh is that so? What did he say about me?"

"He said that you were fun to train with, and he finally found someone that's worth his time while training."

I raised an eyebrow, skeptical about his words. "Did he really say that?"

"Well, not exactly," just as expected. "But I've known him for a long time. "Although he's harsh, when you learn how to look past his attitude he's a nice guy."

..."Nice guy...huh?" I commented sarcastically.

"Is He here by the way?" He asks. I glance behind myself. No one has entered or exited the room.

"No, he's still outside."

"Sounds like Kanda." He gave a calm and reassuring laugh. He seems like the type that would be easy to get along with, which is convenient.

Many other science division workers and exorcist I haven't even seen yet greeted me with warm smiles. Miranda, Krory, Chaoji, And Reever we're just a few of them. I try my best to socialize nicely with everyone. They spent the whole day just to make me happy, I should at least try to communicate with everyone better.

Hours into the party, Komui was holding a wine glass chatting cheerfully as he drank from his wine glass with Johnny. Lenalee was chatting with Jerry, the chef about soaps and shampoos. I was left alone, awkwardly standing in the middle of the floor. It's not a surprise to be honest. Maybe I should sneak away...wait. Wasn't there cake in the room? I scan the entire floor and spotted the cakes that were left.

I walk up to the cake cover table-well it was covered with cake. Allen was sitting down by himself at the end with stacks of cleared plates. I decide to get my food now before the boy with a monster of a stomach eats the entire table. I go up to the table. The four cakes that have been spared from Allen's appetite were round and towered like a wedding cake with white icing. Juicy strawberries bordered the perimeter of each disc that went up each of the three layers. I don't have a strong sweet tooth, but once in awhile something like this is delicious. I grab the knife and cut a large slice from the top, revealing a double strawberry layered cake. The two layers were separated with sliced vanilla icing and sliced strawberries. Looks like heaven. I grab a slice of heaven and plop down next to allen, who has dollops of white frosting all over his face.

"Enjoying the party, Kuro?" He manages to say with his mouth full.

"I guess so." I said, scooping a piece of pink cake into my mouth. Once the strawberries touched my tongue, the sweetness is absorbed by the spongy cake, leaving for a refreshing dessert. "I'm just not used to events like this."

Allen expression dropped as he stopped to look at me. His frown turned into a obvious forced smile. "You'll get used to it. Remember, you're our family."

Family huh?

Although I can't tell if he's saying that to make me feel better or if he really means it, I appreciate the effort. "Thank you."

"Allen!" Lavi popped out from behind Allen and leaned his arm around the albino's shoulder. A slight blush hinted his cheeks with the smell of alcohol. The glass filled with deep red wine occupied his other hand.

He's drunk. Well, drunk more than usual.

"What...what are you doing Moyashi?" The words slurred off his tongue. "Don't eat all of the cake!"

Allen glared at him and pushed him off his shoulder. "I'm not going to eat it all. And get off me!"

The redhead wobbled back and forth for a bit to get his feet planted onto the ground. A grin spread across his face when we make eye contact. Oh boy

"Ku,"

"My name's not Ku."

"Want me to get you a drink? Headquarters always supplies the expensive good brands!"

I take another bite out of my cake. "No thanks. I'm not interested."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Never had it before and I'm not interested."

"Lavi," Allen joins, done his 17th slice of cake. "You don't need to make her drink."

"Nonsense Allen! She's just shy! I'm trying get her to open up! Shyness is like an illness, alcohol is the medicine, and I'm the doctor!" The redhead then rushes over to another table and grabs two glasses of the deep red beverage. He places one in front of me. Looking into it, my reflection blurs with each ripple the fluid makes. The scent of cherries lingered around me, but something was, 'off'. Another smell lingered around. Pungent, As If it was slightly burning my nose.

I remember this. One of Master Deo's friends would buy a barrel of beer and have a bunch of his friend to come over and drink with him. Most of the people were customers that often came to get their weapons fixed often. They grew fond of me overtime, and told me about their adventures and battles with whatever weapon they had. His friends held a lot of wisdom, and I admired them for that. These guys, and master Deo were my teachers, that is, when they weren't intoxicated.

The shop would reek of this stuff after a Saturday night or when business was slow. But the aroma leaving the glass on the table was smooth, like fruit juice.

But never mind that! I can't give into his idiotic plans! My eyes glared at his bright emerald irises, pushing the glass away from me with my hand. "I said that I don't want any!"

His cunning and playful smile deepened. "What is he trying to pull now?"

"You must be a lightweight. But I bet if Yu was here, I bet you would be willing to drink it from his mouth."

Dammit...my face is getting red...this is what he wanted! I need to stop this! The bookman's little comment drew Allen's attention away from his fake and to Lavi. His face unlike mine, got mad with anger. And before he could hit and scold him I swiftly lift the glass to my lips and took a big swing back. The taste was similar to cherries, but i was more concentrated on the massive burning sensation in the back of my throat.

I arch my back forward and starting coughing spastically. Allen's rough hand rubs my back, hoping that his efforts will suffice for now. I scowl at Lavi, who was now taken aback and confused.

"There! Are you happy?!" I yelled. Somehow my cheeks feel even hotter than before.

"Lavi! Stop pressuring her to do something she doesn't want to do!"

Lavi scratched his nest of hair. "You know that's not how you're supposed to drink wine like that. Even a small amount of alcohol will burn your throat like hell."

"I don't care! Now...leave me alone." My head started to feel heavy as everything around me slowed down slightly. But I shook my head and tried to forget that peculiar sensation. "Now go away."

"How are you already drunk?" Lavi raised an eyebrow at me, but I just ignore his question.

Allen brushes my bangs back and covers my forehead with his hand. "Is she always this warm?"

My sight begins to distort as Lavi puts his hand on my neck and narrowed his eyes down. "Now that I think about it, she IS hotter than usual. I didn't think that was possible with her looks." Normally, I would push the two of them away and say something threatening to Lavi, but my mind is too twisted right now to be in character. I give in and let all of my anger floats away along with the bitterness about the situation as I sway side to side in my chair with a loopy smile on my face and quietly giggling. My eyelids struggle to stay open.

"Lavi, are you sure that was just wine? Normal people don't get drunk like this after one glass."

"Yes! I'm sure of it! It's the same wine that I was just drinking!"

I hear the quick sequence of heels clopping towards me. That must be Lenalee. I peel my eyes back open

"Kuro?" Lenalee gave me a concerned look and knees down next to me. "Um...are you ok."

"Of course I am...hehe." I slur. Although it's rare that I would feel hot, I could feel the inside of my body heating up from the booze. My cheeks were flushed and My brain isn't willing to think straight. It feels quite strange, and satisfying at the same time.

"She's really drunk." Lavi snickered as my body rocked side to side in the chair.

"Oh shad up orange boy."

"Orange boy?" Lavi pointed at his head. "You mean my hair?"

"O- *hic* oh course it's your hair! It's all messy! It's too bright and annoyin!"

"But your hair is brighter than mine!"

"I...I said shad up." My shoulder leaned on Allen as he gave me a nervous smile. "Why...why can't your hair be...be like Allen's." He starts to straighten his back up and blush hard as I run my hands through his white locks. "It's so white and pretty, and it's fluffy…*hic* just like a marshmallow, hehe."

"Ha! Not only are you a Moyashi, but you're a marshmallow!" Lavi heckled.

"At least I'm not a fruit boy!" Allen fought back. I feel a rough hand putting pressure onto my shoulder and waist, positioning me in the correct sitting position. The world around me begins to rock back and forth, as if I'm a baby in a cradle.

"Hehe…I'm sleepy."

"Lavi, can you take her to her room?" Lenalee asked. " I think she's done for the night."

"Sure thing." Someone's arms brushes around my legs and moves me up to adjust to a piggy back position on Lavi's back. My whole body slightly moves up and down with each step he takes.

As moments pass, I hear the sound of a certain scientist rambling on about his cute little sister get closer and closer. But I don't bother lifting my head up to look at my surroundings.

Lavi stopped for a moment and his neck slightly turned. "Komui, somethings wrong with Kuro."

"Huh?...I see… wait, why are her cheeks pink! What did you guys do to her?!"

"Nothing! She just drank a glass of wine and now she's extremely drunk!"

A hand cups around my left cheek and with annoyance, I used my arm and pushed whoever's hand off of me. "Don't tauch me."

"Well, it looks like she still has her attitude! Haha!"

"Komui! This is serious!"

"Right, right. Hmmm. Here's my hypothesis: her body works a bit different than yours, for it solely runs off the energy and heat from her innocence, which means she has a fast metabolism. Chances are that the alcohol processed and heated her body up more than usual and gave her a drunk-like fever with none of symptoms of having a flu. I need to write this down at some point. "

"So what should I do with her"

"Take her to the medical unit. Other than that, she should be fine."

"Kay." Lavi then continue walking until I hear a door creak open. His back is warm and comforting. I'm somehow ok with this.

* * *

Lavi carried the intoxicated teen on his back through the hallway. She kept mumbling about incoherent trivial things that could not be comprehended by anyone. Once in awhile, she would giggle in a high pitch as he would feel the vibrations on his back.

Oh yes, she was cute with her shiny topaz eyes, slim waist and vibrant red hair. Right in his "strike" zone as well. But her appearance, or personality didn't matter. For everyone in this world, no matter how many times he has to painfully remind himself, is just ink on papyrus.

Instead of going towards the hospital wing, he turned right with his own intentions. But even so, at this moment, the older teen kept fighting with himself. Was this right? Is it ok to take advantage of an intoxicated girl that isn't aware of her surroundings? Well, she probably won't remember it when she wakes up, and it's not like he planned on doing unspeakable risqué things to her. From Bookman's orders, he needed to break her shell and find out one thing.

The redhead turned his head around to look at Kuro, with her eyes closed and resting her head on his shoulders. "Where's your room?"

"It's the..one on the third floor…seven doors down on the right." She mumbled on his shoulder. Lavi gave her a confused look. Wait...if we go up one more floor and go down seven rooms, that doesn't seem right.

"Are you sure? That's Yu's room."

"Mmm."

No, she has to be confused by the alcohol. That's Yu's room. YU! The same guy that tried to kill him whenever he called him by his first name! The same guy that kills if someone just looks at him funny! But then again, when she's around him, it's as if a lotus flower opens up to the world for the first time.

Slight change in plans. Lavi looked back at the girl on his back. "Wanna hang out in my room for a bit?"

Kuro, barley paying attention turns her head and snugs her face into Lavi's scarf. "Mmmm."

The older boy grinned. "I guess that means yes."

"Don't you dare, Baka Usagi!" Lavi flinched from the sudden noise and slowly turned to face the agitated samurai, who has just gotten out of the baths with his hair down, shirt half closed and a small white towel hanging around his neck. As expected, Mugen was with him, and Kanda was feeling a little bit on edge more than usual for an unknown reason. "Get your filthy hands off her or I'll slice you up and turn you into Usagi stew!"

Lavi shivered with the thought of 'Lavi stew' and dropped a sweat. "I'm just taking her to her room." He lied easily with his convincing acting skills.

"Bullshit." Instead of Kanda drawing his sword, he stomped up close the The redhead and glared him straight into his one eye. "I don't know what you or your old man wants from her but forget it. She knows nothing!"

A smirked spread on the future bookman's face. "Ehh? Why are you so clingy to her? Don't tell me...that you LIKE Ku?"

The next thing Lavi knew was that there was a sword next to his neck, right above the dazed Kuro. He shook in fear. Kanda Yu was not joking around. He didn't even notice that Lavi called him by his first name. If looks could kill, Lavi would be dead where he stood.

"Tell me…" Kanda spoke deeply and sternly. "What do you want with her?"

Lavi's playful personality left and what was left was a husk or his former self. "You understand the position we're in right now, right?"

Kanda's grip on his sword loosened. "What are you talking about?"

"In this war, we are considered the only ones that can save the world from the hands of the Millennium Earl. But compared to his offense, we're screwed with just pawns. Think of this as a hierarchy or a pyramid. The Earl is the one on the top, then the Noah follow his orders. From there it's akuma, the Earl broker's and then everyday people, who are the source of akuma."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Don't you think it's weird? That there's a hierarchy for our enemies, but for our side, we just have exorcists, and then the heart, which we still don't know what it takes the form as."

Kanda's sharp edge gets closer to Lavi's ear. "Do you think I care about the Order's shit? Get to the point!"

"Alright calm down Yu! I can get to the point as long as you answer this one que-"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Heard of the name 'Karma' by any chance?"

Kanda froze in shock and almost lost the handle to his sword. He wanted to forget that name, but ink doesn't just rub off paper. Once written down, the only way to get rid of it is to mask the marks with a bandage of white out and hope for the best.

Kuro adjusted her head on lavi's back. "Too loud...stop...yell...please."

"We'll have you Yu?" Lavi narrowed his one emerald eye.

The Asian exorcist's dark pupils strayed from Lavi's emerald orbs. "No."

Lavi caught onto Kanda's attempted lie and grinned. "Well here's some background knowledge. If you look into the Order's catalogs and Gramp's history books, the Karma family were the only known humans to have innocence inside of their blood. Meaning generation after generation, all of their children were exorcists. They could synchronize with the atmosphere around them, creating the abilities of what parasitic accommodators have. Their affiliations with the Noah family are unknown, but Gramps believe that the Karma family were the exorcists that once guarded the heart.

"What does this have to do with Kuro?" The black haired exorcist's curiosity grew.

"Well, her innocence description fists, the only problem is…"

"Is what?"

"She's alive. The Karma family have been dead and missing for the past hundreds of years. Why else do you think we're barely hanging on in this war? Gramps and I just need her for information for our logs, that it, but she's harder to crack than you, Yu."

"Che. Then if she's not apart of the Family then why the hell are you still stalking her? Plan on running to Central about it?"

"Just precautions. I'm not on the Order's side or the Earls side. All I do is just record stuff. I'll leave it up to the order whether or not they'll find out."

Lavi sighed and then bent his knees down to lower the dazed girl onto the floor. Kanda scoped her up 'bridal style' with ease and stared at her flustered face. "Let her sleep. I'll see you around, Yu." The future Bookman turn around and walked with his hands in his pockets as if nothing happened, leaving Kanda and Kuro alone.

* * *

Kanda gently placed the intoxicated girl on her side of the bed as she started to wake up and rub her eyes with the edge of her palm. He sat on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his legs and head bent with the information swarming around him. Land scanned her from head to toe. "She doesn't seem injured," he thought. "But she is acting dumber than usual, with that dumb smile and rolling around. And why is her face all red?"

Putting his hand on her shoulder, Kanda pushed Kuro on her back. "Oi Woman."

"What?" The words came out lazily and sloppy, just like a child.

"What's wrong with you?"

"The party...had wine...it tasted weird and burned my throat. Now...I feel all weird… hehe."

'God damn it.' He said to himself. Of all the things he had to deal with, it had to be this. He turned his back to Kuro and sat on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed, trying to think up of a simple solution. An idea struck his head. The black haired exorcist walked to his bathroom, pulled the small towel off his neck and wet it with the cold running water from his sink and wringer it out.

But when he returned, what his eyes laid upon was Kuro, still flushed as ever, sitting up right on the bed and her pants on the floor. Her panties, black and silky, outlined her small figure. Slender fingers fiddled with her shirt buttons all the way to the second to last from completely opening the button up black shirt she wore today. Bandages were already ripped and torn, and clinging onto the back of the ebony shirt, exposing her collarbone, the tattoo, and her small but plump breasts. Compared to other women her age, she had the physical maturity of a teen in the middle of puberty. Everything was slightly smaller than average, but that doesn't mean that she wasn't an adult.

Kanda's cheeks lightly grew in hue and his eyebrows furrowed with anger as he stomped over to and snatched her wrist . "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Kuro looked at him with her eyes full of innocence and confusion. "I got hot...So I-"

"ARE YOU STUPID WOMAN? CAN YOU EVEN THINK RIGHT? YOU'RE STRIPPING RIGHT IN FRONT OF A MAN! HAVE YOU NO SHAME? WHAT IF YOU WERE IN LAVI'S ROOM IF I DIDN'T COME GET YOU? THINK ABOUT WHAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE TO YOU! SO S-"

Kanda stopped and widened his eyes, for he saw Kuro with tears in hers whimpering and wiping them away with her sleeve. The last time she cried was when her brother die, and whenever the two of them would verbally abuse each other, the only thing that was left were headaches and tense muscles. But this…

"K-Kanda…" She spoke quietly. Her shaky words and eyes were piercing through Kanda's stone heart . He moved his legs onto the bed and sat on his side. "Why...why do you have to be...so mean to me? I…I was just hot...why did you yell at me? It hurts...it hurts so much when you do that."

He was speechless. Why DID he yell at her? What else was he supposed to do? He never learned to communicate without an insult or a draw of Mugen.

"E-every night, you would hold me...really tightly..I liked that...it made me feel less lonely… and...we were g-going to start a garden soon. But...you keep yelling at me...and hurting me when we fight. And my body would ache the next day. Were you lying to me all this time? D-d you really hate me?"

"Oi…" he reached his hand towards but Kuro pushed it away.

"You...you won't even call me by real name!" Her voice gets slightly louder. "And every time you would hold me...my chest would ache. I feel like it's about to explode. Stop...stop hurting me. You're horrible."

Kanda clenched his hand. His fingernails digged into his palm. If this was lenalee crying, he would have either compliment her platonically or just pull on her pigtails and tell her to stop crying like when they were kids. He knew that none of these coping strategies in the grave he dug himself. He enjoyed being around her, training with her and holding her in bed...did he?

He never wanted to hurt her. It just...rolled off his tongue like a reflex. And now he's the bad guy. Kanda once again steadily reach his hand out to touch her but sighed and dropped his hand back on his lap.

He decided a gentler, yet more aggressive approach. He lunged his body onto hers and wrapped his arms around her waist and and back, clenching her ruby hair with his strands. Kuro watering eyes opened up as she looked at her roommate with confusion and fear. "Kuro," those four letters seemed to have calmed her down and she stopped shaking. "...Sorry..for everything."

Her breathing started to slow down as the tears began to fade away. She accepted the chance and bent her knees slightly, wrapped her arms around his back and clenched his shirt since she knew that his hair was a sensitive spot for him.

"Kanda?" She said in a soft and gentle tone.

"What is it?"

"Do you like me?"

"...yea."

It was only a matter of time that Kuro would fall asleep in their embrace, and forget about what happened that night.


	13. Filler Arc Part One: Gardening

AN: Hello. I want to thank the viewers that are enjoying this series. I wanted to note that this and the next two chapters are here to show that time has passed and because of this, their relationship has become stronger. Please enjoy and reviews will be very appreciated. Thank you :)

Note: Some of the things that are described in this fanfiction are considered facts in the -man universe, such as Kanda's love for gardening, pumpkins and hot peppers (according to the fanbook and Wiki). I will try to stay as cannon as possible when it comes to small details like these.

* * *

"Shovels? Check. Watering can? Check. Buckets? Check. Seeds?"

"I agreed to garden with you, but when the hell did I agree to wear this stupid bib?"

I turn around to face Kanda, standing with his arms crossed around his chest and wearing a slick black gardening apron on top of his casual baby blue Asian style attire. He was also wearing thin cotton green gardening gloves that fit his hands snugly. From the sour look on his face, I could tell that his 'irritated' levels are peaking a new high with me.

After ten minutes of arguing and basically begging, I was able to convince Kanda to create a small garden in the lush area we found a little over a week ago, right after the battle we had outside. It was the perfect size to grow a few vegetables and flowers, and we were the only two people that knew of its existence. Not to mention the quiet and mysterious ambiance made the area great for meditating, so it suits Kanda's needs as well as mine.

"Don't be like that," I pouted, crouching as I dug through the bag of gardening supplies. I was also wearing an apron similar to Kanda's, except it was cotton white and one size smaller. "And it's not a bib. It's an apron. And it's to cover your clothes up from the dirt we will be getting on ourselves when we're done."

Kanda rolled his eyes. "And why the hell would I need to do that?"

"Well do you want to walk back to the Order covered in dirt and mud while Lavi teases you, asking about what happened?"

The Asian took a few seconds to think and clicked his tongue as expected.

"Besides, for all the time I spent wandering the streets of England alone and lost, you could at least stop being a child and wear that for now as punishment for not showing me around."

"Hmph! Whatever." At least he's willing to wear it. I thought about picking out the baby blue apron with small brown paw prints scattered around the front, but I knew that there was no way that he would wear something as ridiculous as that. He would say something along the lines of "I'm not wearing that childish bib just for you to turn into a fool!"

I placed the seed packets in front of me in a semicircle on the strands of glass, which tickled my hand every time I moved it. The packets contained pumpkin and sweet pepper seeds, the two non soba related foods Kanda liked when cooked as tempura. For me, I got spinach, kale, red bell pepper, onion, radish and beet seeds. In addition to the crops I also purchased bluebells, daffodils carnations, daisies, Fox's gloves, hydrangeas, and roses. With all of the packets spread out, it was obvious that I bought way too many seeds for this small area, but each packet was cheap so I shouldn't worry too much. Any packets that are leftover I can use for next year.

I crawled over towards a small patch of moist and fertile soil with a pouch of sweet pepper seeds and my mini shovel and started digging a small hole. I glance back at Kanda, who was still standing with a sour face. "Care to help?"

Instead of scoffing, insulting, or refusing to help me, my roommate did something unexpected of him, and I was the only person to witness it. A slight smile spread across his lips as he shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. It's not like I have anything else to do." I couldn't tell if it was a smile of confidence, happiness or if he was just teasing me, but my heart melted with it. _I made his smile. I don't think it was a grin, or a smirk, but a smile. It's...kind of cute._

Kanda sat on his knees next to me with his own shovel and started digging up the moist soil. He took some of the pepper seeds and sprinkled a pinch of them into the hole. Every few minutes or so, we moved to different areas and planted various flowers and produce seeds. The two of us did this in silence for what if felt like an hour, while nature did the talking. The birds singing as they soar through the area without a care, the grasshoppers in the shadows chattering in small intervals, and once in awhile, the faint buzz of a bee would go past my ear.

Pure bliss.

The oak and spruce trees protecting our little garden of Eden acted as sliced umbrellas, allowing small rays of light to strike by the edges. The sun beamed in the middle, creating the only spot in the area with a dry patch of land to sit on. Once in awhile, my eyes would wander to my friend. No anger could be sensed from him, just his eyes narrowed with concentration. His silky hair covered his forehead and ever so slightly his eyebrows. Beads of sweat dripped down his defined jawline.

I'm not afraid of admitting that he's a handsome young man, or if anyone else in the Order is good looking. Allen's a cute kid, Lenalee tries and exceeds to be cute, and Lavi...well…is Lavi I guess. But there's something about Kanda that makes him special, that makes my heart beat oh so slightly quicker. And I will find out why no matter how long it takes.

"Oi, you're planting the pumpkin seeds too close to mine." He interrupted my trail of thoughts.

I quickly looked at him, with his scowl back on and confused. "What?"

He takes a deep breath in and sighs. "Move aside. I'll fix your stupid mistake." Without arguing, I followed his direction as I witness him dig back up the seed I just planted and replanted it further away and deeper into the ground. "Bigger plants need more room."

I moved my legs in into a pretzel position and widen my eyes. I would've never expected something like that to come out of his mouth. "You seem knowledgeable in gardening." I note.

He pauses from what he was doing and turns to look at me. "So?"

"Is gardening a hobby of yours?" I asked. I couldn't imagine him having a hobby that's considered a soft and docile activity. Then again, everything about Kanda is sealed up in a chest deep in his heart, and for some reason, I have the urge to pry it open.

But a second after I asked him , the tension in the atmosphere rose, making it heavy to breathe. A solemn and lonely frown appeared on his face. He clenched his fist into the dirt with his eyebrows furrowed, as if I dug up an unwanted memory deep from his soul. "I don't know. I think so." He said softly through his gritted teeth.

Wait...what did I do? That was a simple 'yes' or 'no' question! Why did the soft and tranquil mood suddenly drain out, leaving us in the cold?

But based on his reaction, I instantly knew what to do. Slowly, I crawled towards him, wrapped my arms around his back and clenched onto the back of his shirt. His breathing was heavy, as if he was being suffocated. I used one of my hands and rubbed his back in a circular motions in attempt to comfort him. I used his shoulder to rest my head at.

When the two of us were together outside of the room and in public, a brick wall was built to cut ties with each other. Although communication was there, it was still hard to get through to him. But right now it was just the two of us.

"It's ok." I whispered in a mellow tone. The last thing I want to is hurt him even more. "It's ok to not know. Then we can figure it out together."

Kanda's breathing patterns quickly even out. I could feel his heartbeat on my chest as steadily goes back to normal. He took a deep breath in and sighed while tightly squeezing me as well. "Sure. Whatever."

My sea urchin shaped golem flew close to us, making an obnoxious buzzing noise and ruined the easygoing atmosphere I worked so hard to create. I let out a sassy groan and attempted to release my friend, but he wasn't ready to let go. Instead, he rested his neck on my shoulder and clenched the back of my shirt even tighter.

"Kuro? Kanda? Please report to Komui's office for your next mission." The golem buzzed once more to signal that the call ended. I am comfortable going on another mission at any time, but now? _Damn it._

I move my hand to gently pat Kanda's shoulder. "Kanda, we need to-"

"I know, I'm not deaf." He spew back, released me and stood up from his position to brush his black pants off from any excess dirt

I use my leg as leverage to get up as well. Scanning the area, we made a massive mess with holes dug into the ground, seed packets scattered and small mounds of soil that were pushed towards the perimeter. I could see Kanda starting to move up the hill. "Kanda wait!"

"What?" He said as he turned around to face me.

"Let's at least finish up our garden before we head out. That way, it can start growing while we're away."

Without arguing, the Asian exorcist made his way back to me. "Whatever." I smiled brightly back. I'm glad that once in awhile we can be on the same page.


	14. The Omake Arc Part Two: Wish

After a drawn-out, pestering, miserable, two week mission with Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda in Germany, we decided to go back to the Order with no results of innocence. Throughout the days, we hopped from inn to inn, family to family looking for hints of there being a fountain of youth, but all we got was news straight out of a children's bedtime story. So with our hopes destroyed, we sluggishly limped our way towards the nearest train station that was 30 miles (48 kilometers) away in the middle of the night.

Along the way, five groups consisting of four to eight Level 3 akuma ambushed us, but with ease, we were able to defeat them with our innocence. My abilities to control my flames has improved ever since I became an exorcist due to the vigorous training Kanda has put me through and my own personal training. However, I'm nowhere near the skill that my fellow teammates have, especially Kanda and Allen. I can only do close and far range attacks, and when the fire leaves my hands, I have no control of the blast afterwards . But no matter what, in order to survive, I have to get stronger.

We set up a small camp on patch of dry grass in the middle of the woods. A campfire was ignited and food and water rations were split amongst ourselves.

Lavi was the entertainer of the group compared to the rest of us, rambling about trivial topics and his adventures just like on my first mission with him. The way he presents himself seemed to be more formal when he's around Lenalee, the same goes for Allen, who waited his turn until Lavi stops talking to speak up. It was as if the three of them were normal teenagers, surrounding the fire on a camping trip. Kanda, on the other hand, sat far away from the group with his back leaned against a tree trunk and eyes closed. Periodically, I could see the black haired exorcist open his eyes for a split second just to glare at me. When our eyes would meet, we would awkwardly dart our eyes away from each other in silence.

To avoid getting into the conversation that Lenalee, Lavi and Allen were having, I positioned myself a few feet away from the fire laying on my side near Kanda. The icy cold ground sends shivers through my uniform and up my spine. With that and the crisp night breeze, I was shivering, curled up in a ball like a lost puppy in the snow. How could it get this cold at night when summer is just around the corner? Is it just because my innocence is struggling to keep me warm, while everyone else seems to be fine? Whatever. For now I just need to get through the night without the luxury cuddling next to a certain someone.

The moon slowly rose, becoming the pinnacle of the night sky. Stars danced and swirled around, creating multiple spiral patterns in the milky indigo and cobalt pools above us. Lavi, Lenalee and Allen were all in their own unique sleep position about to fall asleep, until the stupid redhead broke the silence when a small sparkling dot raced through the sky.

"Look, look!" Lavi yelled with a childish tone as he sat up and pointed his finger towards the night sky. "A shooting star! Everyone make a wish!" Everyone's eyes except for Kanda's went to Lavi, who shot up from the ground and reached his hand up into the sky. A child like sparkle glistened in his one emerald eye. "I wish to explore all of the ancient ruins in the world! Allen! You go next!"

Allen pushes himself up, claps his human and anti akuma hands together and bows his head slightly. When he was done, his lips curled gleefully. "I wish for 100 million Guinea! That way, I can pay off my master's debts and eat at expensive buffets every day for the rest of my life!" All of us dropped a sweat at Allen's wish. Wishing for money was normal for anyone, but his reasoning was sad for a 16 year old boy.

Allen and Lavi glance over to lenalee, making her flustered and nervous. The Chinese girl then looked into the night starry sky with sadly. "I...I wish for the war to end, and for my friends to be happy."

Everyone's eyes, including Kanda and mine were on Lenalee as she killed the upbeat mood for a wish that was too realistic and depressing. Once she realized this, the Asian girl began to panic, waving her hand. "Um no! I take it back! Um...I wish for a huge chocolate cake! Yea! With lots of frosting and strawberries on top!" The red and white haired chuckled, trying to lighten the mood backup while I turn back around and struggle to fall asleep.

"Alright! Yu, it's your turn now."

"Don't call me by my first name, or I'll kill you!"

"Make a wish! Hurry! Before the star disappears!"

"Hmph! Why would I do something that's as childish as that?"

"Because it's fun to act a little childish once in awhile!"

"But Kanda's childish all the time with that sour attitude of his." Allen snickered.

"If you say one more word Moyashi I'll slice you in half!" The samurai reached for his katana once more, but I just grabbed his ankle before he could take one step. Our eyes meet and narrowed on each other. This was our way of communicating. We just know what the other person wants and follows that request, well, most of the time. He returned to his original position on his back with a scowl. "Fine. I wish for all of you to leave me alone."

An awkward atmosphere began to fill the area, causing me to turn around. The three exorcists kept glancing between me and Kanda in confusion.

"What?" I demanded, more irritated than usual. Their stares continues. "Whatever." I turned onto my side facing the woods and closed my eyes.

Lavi sighed in disappointment. There's a pattern to his behavior. I didn't Notice it at first, but Lavi gets pleasure out of making Kanda angry. I don't know why, unless the redhead secretly has a death wish. "Well, that answer will suffice enough for now." The last person, of course was me. "Ku,"

"Lavi, I'm so tired. Just let me sleep." I mumbled.

"Don't be like that! Just imagine the possibilities of what you could wish for!"

"No."

"Come on!"

"Now that you mention it, I barely know anything about you Kuro." Lenalee join in on Lavi's side.

"Fine!" I push myself up to sit with my legs crossed, and looked out into the starry night sky. A wish, huh? What do I want the most to come in the future? Money? No I would just spend it all. To stop being an exorcist? No, then I would have nowhere to go, but that would be nice. To be happy? What's the point of being happy if you have no one to share it with? I dig deep into my soul for some ideas. Before I became an exorcist, what did I enjoy the most back in Greece? What kept me moving forward. Then, the wish came, I bowed my head and clapped my hands together. 'I wish...I wish to be able-'

"What did you wish for Ku?" The stupid redhead interrupted my trail of thoughts, but I already had the wish close to my heart. I fall back on the dry ground and rolled to the side while using my hands as a pillow. "I wished to go back to headquarters sooner."

"No you didn't." Lavi talks back. I could imagine him giving me that stupid goofy smile of his. "You wouldn't have spent that much time wishing for something like that!"

"Then I wished for whatever Allen wished for. Ten million Guinea or whatever."

"100 million Guinea." Allen corrected.

"No one cares about what you wished for, Moyashi!"

"It's Allen you bastard!"

"Yu, Allen, quit fighting already."

I sigh at the loud commotion my teammates were creating with their bickering and clogged my ear with one of my hands. I just want to sleep damn it.

I feel a soft and gentle hand touch my shoulder. Turning around, lenalee was there to give me one of her sweet smiles. "If you don't want to share with us, it's fine. But in order for you to make friends here, you need to open up a little bit. You can just tell me if you want."

Damn. She's going to keep bothering me about being a loner. How I'm apart of 'her world' and I should reach out to my teammates. I decided to give into her request. I picked up a small gray pebble and started to scribble on the dry patch of dirt. I begin with a circle, then I attach squiggly lines to it. Line by line, I engraved my wish into the ground and drew a heart around it as a finishing touch. A childish drawing of three people holding hands was created. On the far left was supposed to be a man with a rectangular body, straight lines as limbs and short stubs as hair. On the far left was a woman with a triangle dress and straight long hair. Between the two was a small child that was round and had one curly line of hair on the top of his head. All three of the people were holding hands and smiling.

"I…" My face flushes slightly, keeping my eyes towards the ground. Lenalee leans in closer to the ground with me to hear. "I wish to have a family." It didn't matter if I was happy, being able to make the ones I love smile is enough to keep me satisfied.

Lenalee cocks her head to the side. "But aren't we you're family?"

...No..no...no, no, no, NO! YOU IDIOT!

My face turns beet red all the way up to my ears as I bring my legs up to my chest and held them with my arms. Apparently I said it loud enough for the others around me to hear it, because I could hear Lavi snickering in the background.

"I don't think you understand what she meant Lenalee." Allen said in a apologetic tone.

"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!" Lenalee backed away from me, as my face began to resemble a radish.

Lavi however, had no plans of holding back on the playful teasing as his snickering turned into manic laughter. "Aww! Our little Ku has a cute girly side! I can imagine her being a great wife as she wears an pink frilly apron."

Damn it, damn it damn it! That damn bastard! Of all the people in the world, he had to be the one to hear my stupid childish wish!

The Chinese girl's apologetic look faded away as she patted my back in pity while my head hung in embarrassment. "Lavi, I think that's enough for now."

This does not stop him. No… her words made my situation even worse! "I'm not making fun of her Lenalee. I just find it adorable how she tries to act all tough but really she's a big softy! Which all guys love! I can see it now, Ku in a pink apron holding a metal spatula, welcoming her husband with a soft kiss with a dish in her ha-"

"Stop laughing at me damn you!" His last insult pushed me over the edge as I picked up the same pebble I drew with and threw it at him, hitting his head and knocking him onto the grass. He rolled around, holding the swollen spot and whined in pain.

"That really hurt Ku!"

"Good!" I growled, turning back onto my side and shutting my eyes shut. "You deserved it with your sickening sense of humor. Now shut up so I can sleep."

I've could've sworn Lenalee said something to me in a scolding tone, but I drowned out all noises around me to avoid anymore bullshit from the trio. As the chatter turned into snores, my mind fades. The last hint of consciousness I remember was the touch of one's jacket being thrown over my freezing body.


End file.
